AN AUTISTIC four-year-old boy will one day be able to personally thank local people for their support, his mother believes, after saying his first word at a treatment centre in America.

Ruari Burton, who could not speak and until recently interacted little with those around him, said the word “sneeze” at the Autism Treatment Center of America in Massachusetts, to his mother Karen’s delight.

Local people had rallied round to raise the £9000 necessary to send Ruari, of Braid Crescent, St Andrews, for the week of intensive treatment. Karen said he has made amazing progress as a result and has since said other words including “mum” and “toast.”

He also gained so much confidence in those few days that, in contrast to being terrified of the plane on the outward journey, he made a beeline for the cockpit on the way home.

“He couldn’t wait to get on the plane home, to the point he pushed through people and went straight to the pilot’s seat,” she said. “It really made me think he doesn’t want to be a passenger in life anymore; he wants the controls and I’m happy to give them to him.”

The US centre devised the Son-Rise programme, centred around play and educating parents, to work with autistic children.

Set up 20 years ago by parents of an autistic child who later graduated from an Ivy League university, it claims to be able to wholly cure some forms autism.

A member of staff named Andy motivated Ruari to speak. He encouraged him to eat green beans and repeatedly pretended to sneeze as he did so. Karen said, “Ruari was so enjoying Andy’s performance with the big sneeze that it come out spontaneously.”

She said Ruari’s progress is amazing and those who know him have been astounded by the difference.

She said, “It’s incredible. He will hold eye contact and is really curious. There are still lots of times he goes away into his own world but when he decides to come back he is holding his own.

“The miracle for me is he is finding confidence and awareness of himself. If that can be done in a week, imagine what we can achieve if we are able to put in the same amount of time every week.”

Karen, a single mother who gave up work to care for Ruari full-time, went through intensive counselling and training during the trip and has changed the way she works with him.

She said, “The main thing was I realised I was being over-anxious in trying to get Ruari to progress. I was taking the lead and he was backing off, so I felt I wasn’t getting anywhere. He needs to take the reins and I will gently push him.”

Karen continues to raise money to provide on-going support for Ruari. She hopes to have an observation window fitted in his playroom and buy video equipment so she can record his progress.

She will have monthly consultations with a Son-Rise expert and will attend a further training course in London in October.

Karen has been awarded funding to employ a support worker six hours a week and hopes to recruit a team of volunteers. She intends to return to the centre, possibly in a couple of years.

Once Ruari becomes independent—she hopes when he is nine or 10—Karen also plans to use her experience to help other autistic children.

She paid tribute to everyone who had donated money or supported fund- raising events for Ruari’s trip. “What everyone has done for him is so big there isn’t a word to describe it. I really want to tell everyone how grateful we are and I believe Ruari will thank them himself one day.”

Volunteers interested in working with Ruari can call Karen on (01334) 475084.