AN AUTISTIC York schoolgirl, locked inside her own private world, could soon benefit from a pioneering treatment which has seen dramatic results in the United States.

The family of Rachael Hamilton, eight, who live in Huntington, are hoping to raise over £4,000 to travel to Massachusetts in the United States to participate in the Son-Rise Programme.

The ground-breaking scheme was launched by the parents of a severely autistic boy. The programme enabled him to become a highly verbal, socially- interactive youngster, after being a silent, withdrawn child.

Rachael's mother, Rebecca Scotter, said she hoped that one day her daughter would be able to go shopping, travel on public transport and play with other children her age.

She said: "She is not just trapped in her own mind, she is trapped in her own world and we want to offer her a way out.

"We hope the programme can give her some life back so she can have a future."

Rachael, a pupil at Lidgett Grove School, York, was diagnosed as autistic at the age of four, but her family noticed that her behaviour had drastically altered within 48 hours of her receiving the MMR (Measles Mumps Rubella) jab at the age of 15 months.

Now she is unable to communicate fully with her family and often shuts down completely.

Although Rebecca and her partner, Robert Nutbrown, have received a partial scholarship to cover the cost of the week-long intensive course at the Autism Treatment Centre of America, the family needs to raise the cash to cover the rest of the fees and their flights.

Rachael's grandmother, Margaret Scotter, who is doing a sponsored slim to help the cause, said this was an amazing chance for Rachael and the family after several heartbreaking years.

She said: "We take Rachael out, but she can't deal with crowds. She can get very stressed and when she does she starts screaming."

Describing the effect of the MMR jab she said: "Within two to three hours of coming home she had a very high fever, and after 36 hours she was like a zombie.

"Within 48 hours it was like a shutter had come down - there was no life in her at all and no sparkle.

"Her sister, Isobel, is not yet three and it is heartbreaking to see her continue to progress and know that Rachael has gone backwards and not forwards."

The Government is still promoting the MMR jab as the safest way to protect children following an independent committee which found no evidence linking autism with the vaccine.

The review by the Committee on Safety of Medicines and the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation found that the triple jab was very safe. Chief Medical Officer Professor Liam Donaldson said that the safety of the MMR vaccine was supported by a greater body of evidence than that for individual vaccines.

Updated: 11:44 Tuesday, April 30, 2002