A PARENT who set up an organisation for families of children with autism after struggling to get help after her own child was diagnosed with the condition has been awarded £10,000 lottery money to help more youngsters.

Linzi Tropea set up a Saturday club to ensure children with autism succeed using a special programme, which is often only open to parents who can afford it.

Mrs Tropea, who lives in Lostock, believes that ABA — applied behaviour analysis — should be available to all children with the condition given its success rate.

This has included children who otherwise had never walked taking their first steps, to communicating for the first time and developing essential social skills.

Thanks to the programme, children have gone on to do well and make a contribution in class in mainstream schools.

Currently ABA is funded by parents, while others have a fight on their hands to have it funded in schools or at home.

So Mrs Tropea opened the Autism Support UK Saturday School, with affordable rates and volunteers her time to run it.

Mrs Tropea said: “I set up the Saturday School having a child with autism and understand the struggle and lack of support out there.

“We have done a pilot run under Autism Support UK and are doing our next intake in March which is exciting to meet many new families.

“We are absolutely overjoyed to receive Big Lottery Fund which means we can carry on our Saturday school and help more children in Bolton and surrounding areas.

Mrs Tropea added: “The Saturday School is so much fun and we use what motivates the child to help with skills — 93.1 per cent overall children hit targets last intake and made brilliant progress. Talks are put on for parents to support and help families. Saturday school is a fantastic opportunity for early intervention or to help any struggles with autism.

“The programme is delivered on one-to-one basis and we break down the programme for children to develop their skills and rewarding them when they have achieved — it is all done through play so children do not realise they are learning.”

The Saturday School gives children a taster of the ABA programme and equates to one week at school.

Mrs Tropea said: “The progress they make is unbelievable in what is essentially a week of school.

“Some parents don’t know where they would be without the programme.”

Autism Support UK Saturday School is run by Mrs Tropea, Kirsty Keyburn, behaviourist and supervisor Vanessa Haydock.

The Saturday school runs in 12-week blocks twice a year, the next starting in March.Volunteers from universities, mainly psychology students and graduates, help run the school which at present is located at the Essa Academy.

The organisation — which hopes to become a referral centre in the long term — is looking for volunteers to help fundraise for it.

For more information email help@as-uk.org or visit website as-uk.org