Autistic boy gets helping hand from Windsor MP

Callum Brodie • Published 16 Feb 2009 16:00 0 Comments

A SINGLE mum from Horton who has struggled to support her autistic son has revealed how help from Windsor MP Adam Afriyie has made a big difference.

Alison Young, of Champney Close, has praised the Conservative politician for his part in promoting services offered by the Royal Borough for autistic children and is hopeful that more parents will make use of the borough's new commitment to helping youngsters who suffer with the condition.

She said: "My son has Aspergers, which is a form of autism, and therefore he requires special care while at school. He is 13 now and it has been a real struggle in the past so when a chance for him to attend a ten week specialist course in Woking came up it seemed like a great opportunity but I had no way of getting him there.

"I've always had the philosophy that if you don't ask you don't get so I wrote a letter to Adam Afriyie asking for help. To my surprise he turned out to be absolutely fantastic and wrote back several times before organising with the borough for them to pay for my son to take a taxi to and from the centre."

Ms Young, who took a job at an autistic unit in Slough in order to learn more to help her son, is delighted that the Royal Borough has taken steps to ensure that local schools are properly equipped to deal with autistic pupils.

She added: "The main problem facing children with Aspergers is exclusion from different groups. In the past Nathan has been excluded from everything from scouts to school. People think he is being argumentative but what he really needs is things to be explained to him in a clear way.

"I think the borough have really got the ball rolling and there is a lot of work being done to help children like mine. Nathan now attends a special autistic unit in Maidenhead and the borough are yet again paying for his transport. Helping in this way will provide with the chance to pursue a career in five or six years time."

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This article appeared in Royal Borough Observer 16 Feb 09

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