Sam Bailey reveals star support after going public about son's autism

Sam Bailey has received plenty of support after she went public about her son's autism to raise awareness of the disability.

The former 'X Factor' star first learned about her son’s diagnosis in July 2020 after noticing changes in his behaviour four years prior, and Tommy, 13, was later diagnosed with autism and dyspraxia.

Following his diagnosis, the 45-year-old singer - who is also mum to Brooke, 17, and Miley, eight - has been raising awareness for early diagnosis of autism in children.

She sparked huge reaction after recently posting a picture of her son mid-meltdown at a London McDonald’s, but has told how, with her boy's permission, she posted the image to raise awareness.

Sam told The Sun newspaper: “Loads of people got in contact to show their support - even 'X Factor' host Dermot O’Leary - and I told Tommy it was going to help make the world a better place.

“If you see a child with a hidden disabilities lanyard or wearing a pair of ear defenders, give them space. Don’t use raised voices near them. Don’t assume this child is just being naughty.”

Tommy was on the way to see ‘Stranger Things: The Experience’ when London crowds proved too much, and the situation was made worse by people’s refusal to get out of the way.

She said: “People say, ‘Don’t take him into a big city’. But I don’t want Tommy to be stuck at home. It became a horrible experience to the point where he had a meltdown.”

After enrolling in secondary school in 2020, the school bus ended up being a "massive sensory overload" for Tommy.

She added: "Tommy started secondary school in September 2020. But the school bus was a massive sensory overload. It was his worst nightmare.

“He’d be banging his head against the wall before he left the house. He told us he wanted to throw himself in front of the bus.

“We’d often get a call saying we needed to pick him up because he wasn’t behaving, or he’d run out of his lesson and gone missing.

"The school tried everything and the special educational needs co-ordinator was supportive. But they couldn’t meet his needs. There just wasn’t enough manpower.”

Sam later took Tommy out of school when he told her he "didn't want to be alive any more".