Eight-year-old boy tries to kill himself after telling his mother 'being asleep is easier than being awake'

Rex Morgan says he was trying to 'escape his worries'

(Lindsey McGarry)

A mother has talked about the moment her eight-year-old son who has autism tried to kill himself after telling her “being asleep is easier than being awake.”

Rex Morgan, from Hampshire, suffers from Autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

Those with ASD tend to struggle to deal with overwhelming feelings of anxiety, have little interest in interacting with other people and get upset if there are changes to their normal routine.

Rex's mother, Lindsey, told The Independent she was downstairs cooking when her neighbour frantically knocked at the door shouting that Rex was out on his window ledge.

"I remember grabbing him, squeezing him so hard and even then it didn't enter my mind that he was trying to hurt himself,” she said.

(Lindsey McGarry (Lindsey McGarry)

(Lindsey McGarry (Lindsey McGarry)

Describing her son, Ms Morgan said: “Rex very keenly wants to learn and to fit in, he's highly capable and intelligent, but the fact that he can't cope in the 'normal' school setting causes him huge anxiety.”

She has called upon the government to spend more on those with special educational needs.

(Lindsey McGarry (Lindsey McGarry)

“The best thing the government can do is to increase funding for special educational needs and make access to that funding far easier for parents, teachers and specialist carers.”

Ms McGarry claims that Hampshire’s Local Education Authority (LEA) has been told twice by her local mental health team that her son requires educational support but her application has been rejected.

She has set up a campaign, Rex's Right, which aims to raise money for families who have to fight similar cases against local government.

The Children’s Services Department in Hampshire has been contacted for a comment.