A SIX-YEAR-OLD boy with a mild form of autism has been suspended from St Stephen's School, Skipton, until October because teachers cannot cope with his disruptive behaviour.

Michael Wloch was diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome in May but has never been given full-time special needs care in school.

Things came to a head on Friday when mum Wendy went to pick him up from school and found him lying on the ground, scared, shaking and out of control.

She said headteacher Peter Thompson told her they could no longer cope with him.

On Monday she received a letter from education chiefs saying Michael had been suspended from school for 30 days until October 8.

It claimed that "children and adults and Michael himself were at risk of being harmed" and the "education of Michael's classmates under threat".

Mrs Wloch, 27, hopes her son will not have to return to St Stephen's and that she can find a school that is better prepared to deal with his difficulties.

She blames St Stephen's for failing to "statement" him quickly enough which would have ensured he had full-time one-to-one support in class.

The problems started in January 2002 when Michael went into reception class.

Mrs Wloch was told her son presented challenging behaviour but that the teacher put it down to his young age and immaturity.

In September last year Michael went into year one and Mrs Wloch said that straight away the teacher was interested in Michael's behaviour and kept asking to see his parents.

Mrs Wloch said that Michael was fine at home and the problems only seemed to come to the fore in school.

She was told by one teacher that her son needed to see a psychiatrist and Mrs Wloch was referred by her GP to the Hillbrook Child and Adolescent Services in Keighley.

She felt that the school did not help her to deal with her son's problems and that the family was alone in sorting it out.

Mrs Wloch was continually called into school to talk about Michael's behaviour in class and she eventually made a formal complaint about the way St Stephen's was handling the situation.

"I was at the point where I just needed help and I was seeking it anywhere," said Mrs Wloch.

She contacted the parent partnership office at the Skipton Education Office and was put in touch with a special needs expert.

She attended meetings with the school, the governors and a representative from the LEA and in December 2002 managed to get two hours a day extra support for Michael in school.

But she said it soon became apparent that the two hours was not going to be enough and that it was unfair to expect the class teacher to cope with Michael and the rest of the pupils alone.

Mrs Wlock claimed his behaviour did not improve because teachers failed to use the right strategies - giving him space, taking him out of the classroom, sitting him down and not communicating with him.

"Things really, really got out of control. They kept suspending him," she added.

His behaviour included throwing toys and pencils at his teacher, pushing his teacher and classmates and turning over a table.

"He finds noises hard to cope with especially in the dining room," said Mrs Wloch, whose 34- year-old husband Stefan is a computer programmer.

"He gets scared and has thrown his dinner across the room and laid down on the floor."

Mrs Wloch claimed Michael had been excluded from school several times since December with the length of ban ranging from one to three days.

In May 2003 when Michael was diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome Mrs Wloch asked the school to "statement" him so that he would be provided with full time one-to-one support in class.

She did not know whether the application had been made but no extra support had been forthcoming.

Mrs Wloch said that Michael's 30-day suspension would mean him missing the first month of the new school year and she was concerned because he started his SATs next year.

A spokesman for St Stephen's school said: "We are continuing to resolve the difficulties the child is experiencing. We're not in a position to speak about individual children and will continue to work closely with the education authority."

A spokesman on behalf of the Local Education Authority said: "We are working in partnership with the school and parents to meet the needs of the child in this individual case.

"The process is ongoing and we will continue to offer support to the parents and the school to ensure the child's needs are met. The aim for everyone involved is to ensure the child is reintegrated into school successfully.

"While a child is out of school we will provide tuition in line with legislative guidance."