Paula McGowan grew up in Liverpool and is married to Tom McGowan who is a squadron leader in the Royal Air Force.

She has three children.

Following the untimely death of her youngest child Oliver, Paula has dedicated her life to campaigning for better health care for people who have autism and learning disabilities.

She is passionate that all doctors and nurses should receive mandatory training in autism and learning disability awareness.

Paula has recently moved to Australia with her husband but her campaigning continues to go from strength to strength. She attends health care conferences and has done several talks about what happened to Oliver.

Follow Paula on Twitter: @PaulaMc007