A SCHOOLGIRL with autism overcame her communication difficulties to help medics give life-saving treatment to her mum during a severe asthma attack.

Jo Cardie, 37, of Northallerton said she is "incredibly proud" of her 12-year-old daughter Dakota who sprang into action when she saw her mum suffering from severe chest pains and breathlessness.

It happened while they were being driven home from Teesside Park by Ms Cardie's partner Shane Hare and as he found somewhere safe to pull over off the A19, Dakota rang the emergency services and managed to accurately describe her mum's symptoms over the phone.

The youngster was also able to tell medics vital information about Ms Cardie's existing heart condition and details of various medication she takes, meaning that the paramedics were fully briefed to treat her safely.

Dakota's actions prevailed over her autism which affects her communication skills and Ms Cardie said the 999 call was the first time the youngster had ever spoken to a stranger over the phone.

She said: "This all came from a child who doesn't talk to people and that is why I thought it was remarkable that she would talk to a stranger over the phone.

"I never thought she would be able to do that.

"It shows that just because you have got a name like autism for your issues, it doesn't mean that you are not capable of doing things."

Mr Hare, 38, said he initially feared that Ms Cardie was having a heart attack.

He said: "I could see that Jo was in a lot of distress and she got quite panicky when she couldn't breathe.

"My priority was to get to somewhere safe to pull over.

"When I did, Dakota jumped out of the car, found Jo's inhaler and dialled 999.

"At that point I was trying to work out where we were for the ambulance and trying to calm Jo down."

Ms Cardie, who said Dakota "deserved a medal" for her actions, and described how the asthma attack also developed into a panic attack.

She said: "It was very, very frightening.

"I couldn't get enough air and I started worrying even more when my inhaler didn't seem to be helping the situation."

Dakota said that she recognised the symptoms of an asthma attack, even though her mum had never had one like that before.

"She was screaming 'I can't breathe'," said Dakota.

"I was in the back, but when we pulled over I jumped out.

"I knew what to do."

Paramedics worked at the roadside for almost an hour to stabilise Ms Cardie's breathing before she was transported to North Tees Hospital where she was kept in overnight for observation and received nebuliser and steroid treatment.

She is continuing to monitor her breathing efficiency and managing her asthma at home in the hope of preventing further attacks.