A MUM fears her son will be left struggling once extra support he receives is withdrawn.

Ben Gilbert currently receives 20 hours of extra support from staff at his village first school.

But after the half-term holiday the help will disappear because funding has run out.

Now his mum, Jackie Gilbert, is pushing for a change of heart to help give Ben the support and help needs.

Ms Gilbert, of Puddletown, said that Ben, nine, who has Asperger's syndrome, a mild form of autism, has come on in leaps and bounds since he started receiving the extra assistance in lessons at Puddletown CE First School.

She said that although Ben does not have a statement, he has a note in lieu of a statement, which she says means he is entitled to extra support in lessons.

"He initially had 15 hours and in December it went up to 20 hours and he also started medication that made him calmer.

"It's made a big difference. He's progressed a great deal and seems to have grown up thanks to the help and the medication.

"But his needs were reviewed at the beginning of this month and when the review came back the headteacher came up to me in the playground to say the funding was being withdrawn. I was devastated."

Ms Gilbert said it all boiled down to funding and would fight all the way to get the extra support reinstated.

"The school, teachers, everyone is behind me. They think that he is doing really well with the help he has had.

"It's government funding or lack of it, and we are losing out."

She said Ben was due to start at middle school in September and feared he would not be able to cope with it without help.

Ms Gilbert said that she had been in touch with West Dorset MP Oliver Letwin and would be writing to him to give him greater details of her case.

"If Ben is given the support and help now as he grows up into adulthood I am sure he will be able to cope with life. If he loses it now he could end up on the streets or in trouble despite what I am doing, and then of course the Government will blame the parents, which is wrong.

"I am doing all I can for my son and I will fight all the way to get him the help he needs and deserves."

A Dorset County Council spokesman said: "We are not able to comment on individual cases. However, Dorset County Council has a good record of meeting the needs of vulnerable young people in the county.

"We work closely with schools and parents of children with Special Educational Needs, and have clear policies and criteria in place to make sure every child receives the appropriate level of support they require."

Viv Burgess, headteacher of Puddletown CE First School, said that she was not allowed to comment on individual cases.

"We do have a really good record for children with all needs," she said.