A woman has said the stress and anxiety of caring for her autistic child left her hospitalised. 

Dervla Burke O'Connor has a nine-years-old child called Paul, who has been diagnosed as on the autism spectrum disorder. 

He is nonverbal and has an intellectual disability, meaning he requires around the clock every day of the year. 

“We love him, we adore him so much, along with his little sister,” Ms Burke O'Connor told Lunchtime Live. 

“But most definitely having a child like Paul is very demanding and it's very hard and challenging. 

“It can be very isolating because Paul, he has no friends or no social skills, he'd be a complete flight risk and he has no interests.”

Ms Burke O'Connor explained that for Paul “routine is everything” as “any little change can really upset him” and lead to a meltdown. 

“He needs help and support with absolutely everything,” she said. 

“So, dressing himself, toileting, brushing his teeth, washing his hands, feeding him.

“Then there's the danger with Paul that he swallows non-food items and we've actually ended up in A&E with Paul for choking on occasion.”

To mitigate the impact of his meltdowns, Paul’s family has changed their home to make it safer for him. 

“We have straps across his wardrobe doors because he's actually, through meltdowns he gets very upset,” Ms Burke O'Connor said. 

“He actually pulled a wardrobe door down on top of himself a couple of months ago and it's a really, really heavy door.

“To be honest, I thought the child was nearly dead from it - I got an awful fright and he got an awful fright.”

Paul's future

Ms Burke O'Connor described being a carer for her son as “very physically demanding”, but also isolating and stressful as she worries “so much” about his future. 

“What will happen to him?” she asked. 

“What if he becomes too big, too strong, too physically aggressive? What will happen?

“It has caused me huge anxiety. 

“Honest to God, I feel sick in my stomach every day thinking about it - it keeps me awake at night.” 

Recently, Ms Burke O'Connor spent a period of time in hospital for surgery and Paul’s father and grandmother stepped up to provide more care for him. 

It was, Ms Burke O'Connor feels, an “absolute disaster”

“Paul can go through very aggressive spells, which he did at that time,” she said. 

“I suppose there was big change, Mama wasn't there and he couldn't understand why.

“So with all that then, I actually had a complete mental breakdown and I was actually hospitalised myself. 

“One day I was in a meeting for Paul again - my life revolves around him - and I got severe chest pains.

“I actually thought that I was genuinely having a heart attack, I was in so much pain.” 

Doctors eventually concluded she had not had a heart attack, but was instead suffering from severe stress. 

She is now on anti-anxiety medication but still worries about her son’s future. 

“I hope maybe by today, by having this chat with you, that maybe this interview might reach the right people,” she said. 

“That they would really listen to carers, real lived experiences and just act on it. 

“It's time for change now."

Main image: Paul. Image: Supplied.