A VALE of Leven pupil has spoken of his battles to overcome challenging diagnoses to leave school as a 'champion' student.

David Alexander lives with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and Tourette’s syndrome but his commitment to learning saw him excel in subjects such as maths, music, chemistry and computing.

On Tuesday, pupils across West Dunbartonshire celebrated as they look forward to their next chapter following school.

And David, who is set to begin a game developer course at the City of Glasgow College this autumn, admitted he will miss his school days.

He said: "My teachers have been really supportive and I wouldn’t have achieved what I have without their support.

"In general, I can be very easily distracted but the teachers have kept me focused on my work.

"I know games development is a very difficult thing to get into but I’m keen to start the course and see how I get on.

"I have enjoyed my time at school and will miss all the teachers who have helped me over the years.”

Despite David’s difficulties with social communication and interaction, his curiosity about people and his desire to be accepted by others have given him the self-determination to overcome any limitations and fears that his diagnosis presented.

He was awarded the Base Champion award in 2021 and was the first pupil to be awarded the Excellence in Maths Award for his commitment to learning during the pandemic.

David has been equally determined to achieve academically gaining A’s in Higher Maths and Music; National Five in Chemistry and sitting Higher Chemistry and National Five Computing this year.

His love of the outdoors was recognised when he was awarded the John Muir Award and Junior Park Ranger Award from the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park and he also spent time volunteering at West Dunbartonshire Community Foodshare.