Bubble wall helps non-verbal boy with autism to speak

Zac was "beside himself with excitement" at the installation of the wall

A mother has described how a bubble wall in the family kitchen prompted her usually non-verbal five-year-old son to start naming the colours he could see.

Chrissie Render's son Zac was diagnosed with autism and global development delay just before his third birthday.

Mrs Render, from Derbyshire, said Zac was also soothed by the wall, which pumps bubbles through plastic tubes.

Charity Children Today, which funded the wall, said bright lights and bubble sounds could help people with autism.

'So emotional'

Mrs Render, 43, from Long Eaton, said Zac had been "mesmerised" by a bubble wall at a restaurant the family saw on holiday a few years ago.

She said: "It is just different coloured bubbles going up and down but it is really calming. It really does help him."

Chrissie Render said although her son was usually non-verbal, he began to shout out the changing colours in the illuminated installation

With the charity's help, she was able to get one installed on a wall at home.

"When the bubble wall arrived Zac was beside himself with excitement. He was jumping up and down," she said.

"Although he has recently started to use some words, he's usually non-verbal.

"But when we connected the equipment he instantly started shouting out the different colours as they changed - 'blue, red, green!'.

"I couldn't believe it, as Zac normally relies on picture cards to communicate.

"It was so nice to see him coming out with words he had not spoken before.

"It was so emotional seeing how much he loved it."

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She added that the installation also calms Zac and helps him sleep.

"It has made life a lot easier which has had an impact on all of us," she said.

The effect of "simple items" like bubble walls on families can be "profound", the Children Today charity said

Children Today, which helps fund sensory equipment for families, said bubble tubes and walls have been found to help those affected by autism.

Emma Prescott, director of the charity, said: "Sensory overload can be really distressing for children with autism and sadly bubble tubes and other sensory equipment that can help are prohibitively expensive for many families.

"But, as you can tell from Zac's story, the effect of such a simple item on both the child and the family as a whole is often profound."