A MOTHER has praised the dedication of a pre-school which helped diagnose and support her son with Autism – a condition she believes needs greater awareness.

Charlotte McKnight is now on a campaign to change the perception of the condition, after her son Charlie, 4, was diagnosed with High Functioning Autism and Sensory Processing Disorder.

More than half a million people in the UK are on the ‘autism spectrum’, with the condition affecting people in different ways.

It is a lifelong disability that affects how a person communicates with, and relates to, the world around them – and is completely hidden.

As Ms McKnight will testify - she has endured dozens of heartbreaking experiences with Charlie, which prevent her from taking him out to public places and hopes people’s perceptions of autism will change.

The beautician said: “The amount of people who say to me ‘he doesn’t look autistic’ is incredible because he just looks like a normal, everyday little boy but it is not all about what you can see.

“I’ve had parents walk past us in the street and look at him with disgust or say ‘look at that horrible boy’ because he can’t take it all in and acts differently to the rest of us – but it is how he sees things.

“Parents have taken their children away from where he has been playing, or think he is a bad influence on their children – it’s hard to take.

“One of my clients says whenever she sees a child playing up, she looks up and smiles and thinks ‘what if they are autistic’, rather than then judging them and assuming they’re just a naughty child.

“He doesn’t choose to act the way he does, if I could wave a magic wand so he wasn’t autistic, I would, because he doesn’t want to be autistic.”

Ms McKnight first noticed her son was different from other children at an early age. She had a bad delivery and he was badly constipated.

She added: “You shouldn’t compare children, but when we were out and you saw children playing and taking it all in, he looked lost, nothing came natural to him.

“His disorder means everything is heightened for him – if you turn up a stereo to the point it starts distorting, that is how he sees the world.

“He is very literal, you can’t use certain everyday phrases with him as he believes them, he can be very possessive and intense.

"To use the phrase immature at his age sounds strange, but that is what he is – he acts like a two-year-old.

“It’s not all bad, he is very bright, he has a thirst for learning and can talk for England. He is incredibly confident and self-assured but he can get very low.”

But the Wycombe family’s life has been changed forever following the hard work and persistence of the team at The Village Pre-School, headed by Manager and SENCO Nicky Lovegrove.

Staff at the Tylers Green based school spent hours filling out paper work and fought to have a specialist evaluate his behaviour and needs as well as providing a dedicated member of staff to support him..

Charlie will now start at Carrington Infant School in Flackwell Heath in September, which has the facilities to cater for his needs.

Ms McKnight said: “The Village Pre-School and Nicky in particular have just been brilliant, there has never been anything too big or too small they wouldn’t do to help – especially in the facilities they have.”

Ms Lovegrove said: “We knew from the day Charlie came to look around the pre-school, aged two, that he would need additional support.

“This was never an issue; we knew that we had to put support and strategies into place to ensure Charlie reached his full potential.

“The children have all accepted Charlie as ‘one of them’ and he is a very popular little boy who will be missed by us all at The Village Pre-school. We wish Charlie and his family all the very best for the future.”

For more information, visit The National Autistic Society website by clicking on the link below.