A MUM says she’s worried for her severely autistic daughter’s safety due to her ‘superhuman strength’.
Five-year-old Isla Smith has severe autism which makes her want to destroy walls, furniture and even her own bed, putting herself in danger in the process.
The mum of severely autistic girl Isla Fisher (pictured) with ‘superhuman strength’ has told how she needs to raise funds to build a padded room to keep her daughter safe.
Taylor Smith, 26, says Isla’s non-verbal autism makes her want to destroy walls, furniture and even her own bed
Because her autism is non-verbal, it means the tot hasn’t learned to speak.
Isla’s mum Taylor, 26, says her daughter has the mental age of a baby and doesn’t process pain and so will bite herself and smash herself into walls.
She also suffers from pica syndrome, a rare eating disorder that triggers cravings for objects that are not edible.
The five-year-old tries to eat inedible items like household objects, as well as things like grass, mud and stones.
Taylor has appealed for funds to build a special padded room to protect her daughter from her own ‘superhuman strength’.
The single stay-at-home mum of two young girls from Milton Keynes, Bucks, said: “It’s a full-time job keeping her safe.
“She has destroyed countless walls and carpets.
“She can drag a double mattress off a bed and destroy it in no time – she’s only little but her strength is amazing.
Isla’s sensory issues also result in an obsession with body fluids: she will often smear faeces and spit around, or cause herself to vomit so she can spread it on the walls and floor.
“The only solution is to provide her with her own space that is like a giant soft play area, with padded walls, floors and a special bed she cannot destroy,” the mum said.
Taylor was forced to divide her two-bed ground floor council flat into a three-bed, after her two-year-old daughter Bella became at risk of her sister’s outbursts.
Bella is also thought to be on the autistic spectrum but at the other age of the scale. At the age of two, she can already count up to 300.
After appealing to the council for adaptation support two years ago, Taylor has decided to take matters into her own hands after becoming sick of waiting.
The mum said she needs £1,000 to build the room to stop her little girl from harming herself.
She has so far managed to find a second-hand disability bed for £180, which when new is worth more than £1,000.
The bed is wipe-able and made of soft-play materials with high walls and can serve as a safe space for Isla during outbursts.
It also means Isla can sleep in a bed for the first time in months, after she destroyed her newest standard bed in 24 hours.
Taylor said she is unable to work to raise the money due to her care responsibilities for her two daughters.
She is currently given just four hours of respite a week from Milton Keynes Council.
Isla is also enrolled in Slate Row School in Milton Keynes but is regularly sent home, as her sensory issues mean she can’t stand wearing clothes.
Taylor said: “I have to watch Isla literally all the time. It’s impossible for me to work.
“It’s like having a new baby in that you have to feed her, change her and wash her – but the worst bit is that you never know what she will do next.
“She’s gorgeous and I love her to bits but her autism makes her the most destructive little girl.
“The doctors say she’s a really severe and extreme case.”
With the help of her friends, Taylor has now started a GoFundMe page which has so far raised £700 of the £930 needed to give Isla a safe room.
What is autism?
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is the medical name for autism: it’s neurodevelopmental condition which affects children’s behaviour, ability to communicate and socialise.
Being autistic doesn’t mean you have an illness or disease. It just means your brain works in a different way from other people.
Autism is also on a spectrum, so everyone experiences it differently.
It affects around one in 100 people in the UK and is three to four times more common in boys than in girls.
Signs of autism in young children include:
not responding to their name
avoiding eye contact
not smiling when you smile at them
getting very upset if they do not like a certain taste, smell or sound
repetitive movements, such as flapping their hands, flicking their fingers or rocking their body
not talking as much as other children
not doing as much pretend play
repeating the same phrases