'We thought our son was just being difficult but finding out why has changed our lives'

manchestereveningnews.co.uk:

Difficulty concentrating at school, no eye contact and emotional outbursts. The signs were there from the start. But it wasn’t until a teacher recommended Chris Woolnough get his son Thomas tested for autism that he finally connected the dots – leading to a diagnosis that would change their lives forever.

Thomas, six, was diagnosed with autism at the height of the pandemic in 2021 when he was just four-years-old. The test came following concerns he was struggling at school.

Dad Chris, from Sandbach, Cheshire, says the result came as a “relief” to the family – allowing them to fully understand the youngster and offer him the support he needs. “I think we were expecting it,” the 39-year-old told the Manchester Evening News. “He’s our middle child and we could see big differences between him and the other children. READ MORE: "I'm the real-life Sleeping Beauty thanks to a disorder that makes me sleep 22 hours a day" “I think it was a relief and more of a relief when we got the additional support in school.

It helped us understand him. My wife has done a lot of courses in autism so it’s really helped.” Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a developmental disability caused by differences in the brain.