Bristol, England — A 12-year-old boy who was diagnosed with Pathological Demand Avoidance or PDA has been trying to raise funds in hopes of getting himself an autism service dog.
Elliott Pugh has been struggling with his condition, which causes behavioral problems that hinder him from interacting with the outside world. His condition sometimes makes him violent, and he often ends up hurting himself as well. Elliott is very much aware of this problem, and he is hoping that a service dog will somehow help him feel better, and make him a little more sociable.
But it doesn’t come cheap.
The young boy, however, is determined to get himself the service dog. So he decided to make a fundraiser, hoping he will be able to raise enough money for it. Elliott told:
“I think it would be so cool to have a dog to help me stay calm and not so worried. Going in public places is really hard for me and I find it hard to make myself walk, so I use a wheelchair.
Elliot also told that having a dog would make him feel safer.
Elliott is also trying to raise funds for both the PDA Society and his school by selling his paintings.
After struggling in every school he was previously placed in, Elliott finally found a school where he felt happy and safe. He was so happy that he started making paintings which he gave to his headteacher as a token of appreciation. He told:
“I was so happy about my new school place that I decided to do a painting to give to my new headteacher. She really liked it! I really enjoyed doing it, it made me feel calm and happy.
“I started doing more paintings and people asked if they could buy them. I didn’t want the money so I decided to paint for charity.”
As of now, Elliott’s fundraiser has so far reached over £4,000 (around $6,000) — just a little more than a thousand pounds shy of his goal of £6,000 (around $9,200).
Elliott’s GoFundMe page can be found here: http://www.gofundme.com/yd532fg
Source: Kirstie Mccrum: The Mirror: UK Boy with autism offers poignant explanation of living with condition as he fundraises for specialist dog