A mother is appealing for volunteers to help educate her autistic son after criticising Oxfordshire County Council for not providing enough help for children with the condition.

Jane and Michael Stooks will take their four-year-old son George out of Bardwell School, a special needs school, in Hendon Place, Bicester, at the end of the school year later this month to teach him at home.

Jane Stooks with her son George

The couple, of Town Well End, Fritwell, near Bicester, have paid £60,000 for treatment through the Autism Centre of America.

They say that in order to get maximum benefit from the centre's Son-Rise programme they need volunteer helpers to help work with George seven days a week. The scheme encourages one-to-one structured play in a specially-adapted playroom.

Mrs Stooks has criticised the council for not providing enough help for autistic children.

She was told the education department would allow George to be removed from school, but would not provide any help or funding. She said: "They said as long as I'm prepared to accept this, they were happy for George to come out of school.

"It's a hugely successful programme, but we don't get anything from Oxfordshire. I just think the services shut their eyes to autism. Their way of dealing with it is to switch off."

Mrs Stooks said other councils provided help. In Hertfordshire, one couple's child is visited by an outreach worker for an hour a day.

But the Stooks will have to rely on volunteers to help George with the programme. The family started it part-time last October and say they have already seen improvements in George's communication skills.

Mrs Stooks said: "George is a cheeky, fun-loving boy, who loves his playroom. He is not aggressive or self-harming."

Katherine Fulljames, county councillor for the village, said: "Bardwell School does provide a good system. But we can't take someone from the school to go to Fritwell, as then they are not dealing with other children at Bardwell."

She said it was unfair to compare services in other counties as Oxfordshire provided services that other areas did not.

Education officer Charlotte Christie said help was available for children of pre-school age, but once they were of school age they were offered appropriate educ- ation.

Anyone interested in volunteering to help should call Mr or Mrs Stooks on 01869 345452.