The family party where we noticed something different about Clarke
manchestereveningnews.co.ukAs a baby, Clarke O’Connell was hitting all his milestones until his family noticed a worrying decline in his speech. His parents Leanne and Wayne initially thought a hearing issue was to blame.
But as time went on, loved ones began observing a shift in his behaviour. Clarke, now seven, was attending a party when family members noticed he was playing alone, didn’t hold eye contact well and appeared to be “in a world of his own”. READ MORE: Doctors said he had a trapped nerve.
His gut instinct was right all along These traits were also picked up by nursery staff who believed the tot, from Middleton, was showing signs of being autistic.
Leanne, 36, and Wayne, 34, decided to get Clarke assessed and he was later diagnosed with the condition. Autism is a life-long neurological and developmental disability that affects how people interact with others, communicate, learn and behave.
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