CARING for a child with autism can present many challenges, as one Exeter mother has discovered.

Caroline Flowerdew, from Whipton, who cares full-time for her four-year-old son Christopher, wants to educate people about the issues involved with looking after a child with such difficulties.

Christopher was two years old when he was diagnosed with autism, a lifelong developmental disability that affects the way a person communicates and relates to people around them.

Caroline, 28, said: "Christopher wasn't speaking at two, so we took him for some tests. The first year of diagnosis is really hard, but it gets easier and you do find your life on the other side. It can be difficult at times, but it's not the end of the world."

Christopher goes to St Nicholas Catholic Primary School, in Ringswell Avenue, and also attends Honeylands twice a week, where he takes part in a therapy group to learn social skills.

Caroline said: "Christopher can't be left unsupervised. We have had to put locks on the doors as he is very inquisitive and impulsive. He does not remember rules or understand the meaning of 'no'.

"He has even managed to pull the curtains down in the lounge and rang 999 once, so constant watch is required.

"Going into town is an experience. It is fine if you do exactly what Christopher wants but I have to keep reins on him as he loves riding on the buses. If we are in a cafe and he likes the look of a cake on someone else's table he will just run over and grab it. He is very persistent."

Boys are four times more likely to develop autism than girls and it is not known whether Christopher will eventually read, write or even talk.

Caroline said: "He is very clever at solving problems and always remembers where things are. And he is slowly learning how to play with other children — he likes football, but often tries to take the ball off the other children. He thinks by doing that he is joining in, but they understand, they've known him since he was three."

Caroline receives nine five-hour sessions of respite from Devon County Council throughout the year.

She said: "I like to save the respite for the school holidays. We have been away a few times, but mainly to cottages in the UK, as hotel rooms tend not to be very Christopher-friendly, with kettles and irons out for him to reach. We also get Disability Living Allowance, which is good, but there is always so much paperwork to fill in."

Caroline and her husband Johnathan, 30, use a special communication aid with words and pictures on a Velcro background, so Christopher can make sentences and let them know what he wants.

Caroline said: "Autistic children have difficulty in understanding how language works so the aid has made a huge difference to our lives."