John,

Patrick Dwyer is an autistic Ph.D. candidate at the University of California Davis researching auditory processing in people with autism. His important work is made possible through an Autism Speaks research grant. Patrick's personal experiences and passion propel his work. As a child, Patrick had distressing sensory experiences but didn't have the language to describe them. It's a challenge he hopes his research will change.

Giving autistic people the tools and language to describe their varied sensory experiences will increase their quality of life and mental health, allowing them to reach their full potential.

Autism Speaks is dedicated to increasing autistic representation in the field of autism research and empowering a greater number of autistic scientists to pursue research careers. But we can't do it without YOU.

We know you care about people with autism, and we hope you join us for the DC Walk. Please register today. When you support Autism Speaks, you enable life-enhancing research like Patrick's.

With gratitude,
Dr. Andy Shih, CSO

P.S. The Autism Speaks Walk is our biggest community fundraiser and plays a vital role in supporting our mission. All you need to do is register to gain access to easy-to-use resources, step-by-step fundraising tools and the opportunity to get great gifts — did we mention GREAT gifts!!