‘Safe sleeping place’ plea by parents of Wirral autistic boy

Nov 18 2009 by Carrie Catterall, Heswall News

SLEEP-DEPRIVED parents need help to create a safe space for their autistic son.

Five-year-old Zak Heffron suffers from autism and has complex needs and challenging behaviour patterns.

He is fully mobile but he has no sense or awareness of danger and requires constant supervision.

He has poor sleep patterns and is often awake for long periods during the night.

When Zak is awake he requires somebody to be with him and this has led to long periods of sleep deprivation for his parents Chris, 36, and Sharon, 33.

They contacted Newlife Foundation for Disabled Children for a safespace, a specialist piece of equipment designed to provide a safe, calming environment for children.

But although the charity provides equipment grants for specialist beds, car seats and wheelchairs for many children in Wirral each year, it can not afford to help them all.

Now the Newlife Foundation is working with Zak’s parents to try and raise £4,678 to buy the safespace.

Chris, from Heswall, said: “At the moment Zak’s bedroom is stripped bare and doesn’t even have a bed.

“We’ve had to remove everything because he self-harms by headbutting things and jumping off furniture.

“We have had broken sleep since he was born as we are constantly worried about him hurting himself.

“He is on medication to help him sleep, but he usually wakes at about midnight and will then start kicking his radiator and banging on things.

“It puts tremendous strain on us as a family and the relief from getting this safeplace would be unbelievable.

“It would mean we could put him to bed and not worry about him hurting himself because he would be in a calming, padded room.”

To donate visit www.justgiving.com/newlifemerseyside or for more information visitwww.safespaces.co.uk/safespace.