Gregg Wallace says he’s “incredibly proud” of the progress his four-year-old son Sid has made since being diagnosed with autism last year.
“For a little boy who is non-verbal, he has a huge personality,” says Wallace, 59, who shares Sid with wife Anna.
“Every parent has a right to be proud, but I’m so incredibly proud that everybody who meets him falls in love with him.”
In the UK, autism is not usually diagnosed until children are a little older, but the couple recall noticing some tell-tale signs when Sid was one – like not responding to his name.
“And in Sid’s case, there was no eye contact whatsoever,” says TV presenter and MasterChef judge Wallace. “There’s no interaction whatsoever. They don’t play peekaboo. And Sid was walking on his toes.
“There was a point where his mum, just distraught, said, ‘I’m just here to feed him and change him’.”
After taking Sid to a specialist and getting a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) – defined as a lifelong developmental disability that affects how people communicate and interact with the world – he was enrolled in a special school in Kent, where the family lives.
“Sid’s issues are at the moment, he’s non-verbal, his food choices are incredibly limited, he doesn’t use cutlery, and he’s still in nappies,” says Wallace.
“They are our issues, but none that we find insurmountable or even problematic.”
The former greengrocer, who stepped down from presenting Inside The Factory earlier this year to focus on parenting, says his biggest concern is communicating with his son.
“When Sid is upset or scared or even unwell, he can’t explain to us what’s going on. He’s started school now – it’s a wonderful school – but we can’t say, ‘Have you got friends?’, ‘What did you do [at school]?’,” he says.
Having become an ambassador for the charity Ambitious about Autism, the TV personality wants to use his platform to raise awareness and share what he’s learned along the way with his little boy.
A new breed of rose created by the Harkness Rose Company has been named the Little Sid, with £5 from the sale of every plant being donated to the charity.
Wallace is all too aware of the myths and misconceptions that often surround autism: “I’m sure people think that we’ve just got a badly behaved child when we go out. And I’m sure people would say, ‘Well, he should eat what he’s given’. Yeah, he would starve!”
He heard many of the same insensitive responses when he told people Sid was seeing an autism specialist: “Nine out of 10 people said, ‘Have you had his hearing checked?’ Nine out of 10 said, ‘Well, he’ll be fine once he goes to school and copies the other kids’.”
Speaking with warmth and humour about his son, it’s clear the doting dad takes a ‘look on the bright side’ approach when it comes to Sid, and encourages other parents to do the same.
“You hear all these miracle stories of the child who didn’t speak until he was 15 and now he’s studying medicine at Cambridge – I’m not looking for that,” he says.
“I didn’t know that the best thing to do is to accept who your child is. Because we all go searching for a cure – it’s an issue that just needs more understanding, not a cure.”
For other families navigating a diagnosis or possible signs of autism, he recommends taking your child to a specialist, if possible, and learning to understand how they convey their thoughts and needs: “Study your child. They are communicating with you, it’s just a different form of communication.”
While the future is uncertain in many ways, Wallace is optimistic and says schooling is having a “profound” effect for Sid.
“None of the specialists can tell you what’s going to happen. What we can guarantee is that Sid’s communication will develop, but that may not be verbal,” he explains.
“If he wants something now, he just comes and gets us by the hand and takes us to what he wants. You can definitely see whether he’s happy or unhappy, but he hasn’t got subtle communication.”
The four-year-old has also come on leaps and bounds in terms of socialising.
“We now have lots of interaction with Sid and lots of eye contact. I’m proud to say he’s particularly fond of me,” Wallace says, beaming. “I watch what he’s listening to and I learn the words, and then I say or sing them back to him. And the joy on that little boy’s face…”
Focusing on both big and small successes helps the family cope through more challenging times.
“Development in a child with slow development is extraordinary. You celebrate every single triumph,” Wallace says.
“We are watching Sid constantly develop. All the time that is happening, we are incredibly hopeful.”
Gregg Wallace is ambassador for Ambitious about Autism. The ‘Little Sid’ Rose is available from YouGarden.com, with £5 from every sale donated to the charity.
