Parents of autistic children have been asked to become ambassadors to raise awareness about the condition within the Jewish community.
Salford-based Jewish special needs school Delamere Forest has written to its parents to encourage them to speak openly about their experiences. It is being timed with Saturday's World Autism Day to highlight increasing difficulty facing parents trying to gain special education for their children.
The school's governors' chair Malcolm Joels said local authority spending cuts made awareness more pressing.
"One parent has struggled for over two years to get her child's condition recognised and that's a normal kind of time period. The earlier parents start the process the faster they will get the right help," he said.
Another parent, Lisa Green, from Pinner, north London, battled for two years for her 14-year-old son Archie (pictured) to attend Delamere following a friend's suggestion. The move ended years of unsuitable schooling.
"Archie was forced to change schools twice because they couldn't meet his needs. It was heartbreaking. At one school I used to go to the playground to collect him but I felt I was the mother with the naughty child and no one understood what I was going through.
"I arrived at Delamere with Archie when he was 12. One kid said 'Do you want to have a go on my scooter?'. It was the first time a child had shown any friendship towards him and I'd tried so hard to get him to ride a bike. To me that was 'wow'," said Ms Green.
Archie has had a barmitzvah at Delamere and was able to attend a Bnei Akiva summer camp. Ms Green said she now takes any opportunity to speak to parents experiencing similar troubles.
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