A MOTHER has warned parents worried about their children's behaviour to seek assistance as soon as possible as it may not just be the 'terrible twos'.

Cheryl Amor first became worried about her son Jake when he reached 16 months, having met all the earlier milestones in a child's development - sitting at six months, walking at nine months, and talking at 12 months. He became difficult to control and would often run off, but his disruptive behaviour was written off as normal childish rebellion.

However, when he started nursery school aged two-and-a-half they immediately noticed problems with his understanding and communication skills, and this was eventually identified to be the result of Autism spectrum disorder.

Jake had a limited amount of support at his nursery before he was introduced to mainstream school, but nevertheless he found the transition difficult.

"Jake struggled, we struggled and his teachers struggled," said Cheryl.

"Jake was taught away from his peers, never had lunch at school or playtime with his classmates.

"He was taught alone in ‘Jake’s Den’ for the duration of his second year at mainstream school.

"By this time Jake was realising he was different and not in a way that was not being celebrated. He became very unhappy."

The six-year-old has now moved on to the special needs Portfield School in West Parley, Christchurch, run by the charity Autism Wessex. He has horse-riding therapy once a week and has been on several trips, and has already started to achieve important milestones including writing independently and remembering his letters and numbers.

His mother said he was "a very happy boy who loves his new school", where before he had been isolated as his mainstream school was not able to accommodate his needs. She urged parents to ensure their children have the best environment for their needs.

"To put it simply intervention should start as early as possible," she said,

"When parents begin to notice their child is not developing as expected and they voice these concerns, a common response is "they’ll grow out of it, just wait".

"Unfortunately, the longer you wait the more difficulty you and your child may have.

"If you are concerned about your child’s development, whether it’s their communication, social skills or behaviours, then you should begin seeking information and assistance as soon as you can."