'My autistic son is trapped in his own home - he thinks he's got no future'

An autistic boy of 16 is trapped inside his own home, depressed and cut off from the outside world. His desperate mum's fight to get him the the education he is legally entitled to has left her 'exhausted.'

She has contacted the M.E.N after we revealed that tens of thousands of schoolchildren across Greater Manchester were 'persistently absent' from school during the 2022/23 school year. The data we accessed showed that at least 84,990 pupils of primary and secondary school range across the city region did not turn up for class in the city region.

It followed the revelation of a memo sent out from a Salford education boss stating that thousands of children had been missing from school in that city alone. Currently, this youngster, who lives in Salford, has quit a part-time job and is stuck at home with no prospect of the kind of future his friends aspire to.

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He plays video games and writes scripts for movies - as that is his long-term goal. His mother, who has asked to remain anonymous, is battling to prevent him from descending further into depression. She claims her son was enrolled on a specific college course in the city in September, but only attended twice.

A spokesperson for Salford City Council said a case worker team is in 'regular' and 'close consultation' with the boy's mother and are 'working together to find the most appropriate form of provision.'

“What he needs is a small group setting, one-to-one support to allow him to settle into a new place,” his mother said. “He needs a go-to person, someone who