Deborah Louise Brownson MBE (born October 1974) is a Solicitor and British autism campaigner. [1] She campaigned successfully for autism to be included in teacher training and wrote a leading guide to the condition, He's Not Naughty!, told from the point of view of a child. [2] [3] [4] She was awarded an MBE in March 2018 by Prince William, the Duke of Cornwall and Cambridge, for her outstanding contribution to global autism awareness. [2]
Brownson's eldest son was diagnosed as severely autistic at 18 months. Frustrated with how his primary school was treating him she removed him at age 5 and homeschooled him for five months. She stopped working as a solicitor to focus on her role as caretaker. The notes she collected while caring for her son became He's Not Naughty! A Children's Guide to Autism. [2]