THE parents of a North-East youngster hope he has been cured of autism by a pioneering American treatment.

Two years ago, The Northern Echo told how Ben Collins was trapped in his own world, unable to communicate with his family because of autism.

Parents Paul and Sandi launched an appeal to fund visits to the US to take part in the Son-Rise programme, a parent-led scheme promoting one-to-one interaction.

The family, from New Marske, east Cleveland, has now returned from their latest US trip, and Mrs Collins is delighted with the five-year-old's progress.

She said: "It is fantastic - absolutely out of this world. Ben is no longer classed as autistic at all and he scored over 200 in the IQ tests, so he is a very gifted child who has some social interaction problems."

He now attends New Marske Primary School in the mornings and is in the nursery with four-year-old sister, Jordan.

But Mrs Collins said it is unlikely he will ever attend school full-time because he requires specialist teaching, and intends to devise a specialist programme herself.

The Collins are one of hundreds of families across the country embroiled in legal wranglings as they sue the manufacturers of the triple Measels, Mumps and Rubella (MMR) jab, which they believe is responsible for their children's autism.

While expressing pleasure at Ben's significant progress, the National Autistic Society (NAS) is cautious about endorsing specific treatments.

NAS spokesman David Potter said: "Normally, we are unable to offer an opinion as to the effectiveness of any one approach.

"This is because invariably opinions differ and there is no one treatment that will help everyone with autism in the same ways."

* For more details about autism call the NAS helpline 0870 6008585 or log on to www.nas.org.uk