AN APPEAL has been launched to help protect an autistic boy who has a compulsion to chew things, including electrical cables around the house.

Kai King, eight, of Pocklington, who has no understanding of danger and severe learning difficulties, also has a rare form of epilepsy resistant to medication and suffers up to 15 seizures a day.

He only sleeps for a few hours each night and cannot be left alone even for a few minutes – leaving his mother Jade both "petrified and utterly exhausted," says Newlife, a charity for disabled children.

A spokeswoman said Kai becomes very distressed following a seizure and impossible to comfort, waking his brothers, two-year-old Theodore and nine-year-old Finley.

“Shattered Jade is forced to helplessly stand by and watch as Kai won’t tolerate any attempts to touch or calm him,” she said.

“Kai’s condition also means he has an overwhelming urge to chew things – he regularly chews the wire to his feeding pump and electricity cables around the house.

“He’s also unable to regulate his own body temperature so doesn’t feel when things are too hot, previously burning himself on the radiator without realising. All of this contributes to Jade’s need to watch Kai’s every move.”

She said the charity had lent a specialist bed to Jade to prevent immediate risk of injury but did not have the funds to give her it permanently, and statutory authorities had not been able to fund it.

Now the charity is urgently trying to raise £6,600 to provide Kai with a ‘Safespace’ bed of his own.

Jade said it was very difficult to comfort Kai or protect him from hurting himself.

“If he had a Safespace, as well as keeping him safe at night, it would also give him a protective environment to wind down in when he is feeling overloaded,” she said,

“The loan bed has been a godsend. I still have to get up to take care of Kai through the night for feeding and when he has a seizure – but I know that he is safe and can’t come to any harm when I go back to bed. The idea of what could happen when the loan ends just terrifies me.”

Newlife’s senior manager for care services, Carrick Brown, said: “We would love to be able to help Kai with a permanent safe bed, but we simply don’t have the funds today – so we’re appealing to the local community for help.

“Anyone able to help Kai should contact Newlife on 01543 431444, visit www.newlife.support/HelpKai or email local@newlifecharity.co.uk.

“Money raised above the amount needed for Kai’s Safespace will be used to help other disabled and terminally ill children in need in Yorkshire.”