When Sarah Newman's son Christopher was diagnosed with autism aged three, she found a way to cope with the shock by writing books to help others...

BRINGING up kids is never child's play, but the parents of youngsters with so-called "special-needs" often feel they have nowhere to turn for advice.

New Forest mum Sarah Newman was in that position when her eldest son Christopher was diagnosed with autism at the age of three.

But Sarah found a way to cope positively with the shock she described as "my world falling apart". She wrote a book of tips, ploys and experiences - culled not only from her own life with Christopher, but also from ideas suggested by dozens of mums throughout the Forest.

Sarah's book, Small Steps Forward, was published in 1999 and won first prize in the Popular Medicine category of the British Medical Association's annual book awards.

The advice book for carers of pre-schoolers with disabilities has been translated into several languages including Russian, and has sold more than 6,000 copies.

But the mother-of-three didn't sit back and enjoy her literary success. As Christopher grew, so did the inspiration for another book. And so Sarah started work on Stepping Out, a book aimed at parents of primary-age kids.

Her first book was dedicated to Christopher, but this latest work is for Nick and Billy - younger sons of Sarah and her husband, David.

"The boys are not too impressed with the book. They say it's not as big as the latest Harry Potter," said Sarah at her home in Tiptoe, near New Milton.

"I decided to write the second book largely because I had such a good response to the first one. Some of the nicest compliments I received were from readers whose children don't have 'special-needs' but who still found it a useful book.

"The point is, we are not asking our special needs children to do anything different to 'ordinary' children. They just need more time and patience to get there."

Sarah said that Christopher, now nine and a pupil in a special unit at nearby Tiptoe School, has made huge progress, way beyond what they feared in the first "dark days" after he was diagnosed as autistic.

"We have all moved on a long way but new issues keep coming up so I thought it would be useful to look at children's development in the primary years," said Sarah.

"Children spend a lot of their time at school, but much development happens naturally within the family at home."

As she had done with her first book, Sarah carried out dozens of research chats with other parents and carers - many contacted through First Opportunities special needs playgroup at nearby Ashley Junior School.

She also made the most of advice from local health professionals, though made sure that her book remained jargon-free.

"I tried to write in an everyday, realistic way, from a parent's perspective," said Sarah.

"One of the nice things about these books is the way they have brought people together. It's a worry what the impact will be when you publish something, but I am already getting reports back saying how much the books have helped parents to cope and feel less isolated, which is lovely.

"I don't know yet if I'll do a book for the next age group - parents with special needs pre-teens! Christopher hasn't got there yet and I have to live through it before I can write a book about it."

Stepping Out, by Sarah Newman, illustrated by Jeanie Mellersh, is published by Jessica Kingsley at £14.95 and is available at most bookshops and at www.amazon.co.uk