Sam Bailey says cruel bully said son had ‘brain malfunction’ after autism diagnosis
EXCLUSIVE: Sam Bailey’s son Tommy, 11, was diagnosed with autism back in July after the X Factor winner began to suspect that traits and behaviours he had for years may have related to the condition
Sam Bailey has opened up about the taunts her son has faced since he was diagnosed with autism.
The X Factor winner’s 11-year-old son Tommy was diagnosed with the condition back in July after Sam began to suspect traits and behaviours he had for years related to autism.
When he told his friends and classmates about his autism, Tommy was cruelly mocked by one child who said he had a “brain malfunction”.
Speaking exclusively to Mirror Online, Sam, 43, has revealed the way she has “celebrated” Tommy’s diagnosis with him as she “clears the path” for him to live a happy life with autism.
Sam told us: “When I told him I said ‘Tommy, things are gonna be so much better for you now because we have an understanding of who you are, and we’re going to do everything we can to help you.’
“He went ‘I can’t wait to tell my friends I’ve got autism.’
“There are cruel kids out there and someone said something on the bus to him, saying ‘You’ve got a brain malfunction’ and he really took it hard.
“He was really upset by that.”
Sam, who is also mum to Brooke, 15, and Miley, six, with her husband Craig Pearson, explained that Tommy struggles with changing routines and starting a new school week.
He also has aversions to some foods and refuses to eat something if it has touched another piece of food on his plate.
Tommy refuses to shower or clip his own nails, and Sam’s goal for this year is to get him to shower every night without her having to force him.
He was also diagnosed with dyspraxia, a disorder that affects a person’s ability to plan and process motor tasks, which has left Tommy with low self-esteem.
Sam started to notice the symptoms up to four years ago and decided to take Tommy to a doctor back in May.
She had wanted to get an answer before Tommy started secondary school in September so he could be better prepared for such a huge life change.
She explained: “It just got to the point where I wanted to speak to somebody, and I got some advice from a friend who said ‘Have you checked him out to see if he has autism or Asperger’s or ASD (autism spectrum disorder) or something?’
“I ended up taking him to the doctor and getting him assessed and, low and behold I was right, six weeks and a lot of money later we managed to get a diagnosis.”
Sam, who is currently doing virtual gigs and is preparing to do a concert at home in support of the charity Family Action, said the diagnosis came as a huge relief to her.
She said: “It was like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders. I made him celebrate it.
“I’ve now got a couple of t-shirts saying ‘My son’s a warrior’ and the word warrior is done in the austistic puzzle logo and he’s got hidden disability lanyards.
“What we’re doing that now he has a diagnosis is we’re clearing the path for him so he can walk safely on that path.
“That’s what you do as a parent. I’m learning every day different things.
“It’s like I’ve got a new child in a way because there’s certain things I have more of a understanding of now and understanding why he’s like that.”
Sam also offered her advice to parents who believe their children are showing signs of autism.
She added: “My advice to anybody, if they’re seeing something in their child, is embrace it.
“Some people are worried about getting a diagnosis because they don’t want their child to be labelled, if anything it’s given my son a better life.
“He has an understanding of who he is and we have an understanding of who he is, and everybody is clearing that path for him.
“You shouldn’t be worried about labelling a child, if you look at a percentage of people in the UK who have autism or ASD, or anything like that you’ll find it’s quite a high percentage so you won’t be a minority, there will be a lot of people in the same boat.”
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