Rebecca Clapcott and son Archie from Christchurch become cartoon characters in Autism Unlimited awareness campaign

A MOTHER and son from Christchurch have been turned into cartoon characters for a campaign to raise awareness of the everyday challenges faced by people with autism.

Rebecca Clapcott and Archie, who is autistic, have been animated for Autism Unlimited’s new online initiative, See It From My Perspective.

Rebecca is the founder of awesomearchie.co.uk, a non-profit website she runs with Archie. They also share their life experiences on social media.

They have now both voiced and appear in an animated film about a visit to the dentist.

Rebecca said: “When Archie was born our family was thrust into a world that we knew nothing about. We were scared, lonely and only heard the negative side of autism parenting.

“Through time, education and the support of charities like Autism Unlimited, we now see the sheer joy of Archie’s neurological differences and the many positives that he brings to our family life.”

Archie said: “It was really fun talking into the camera and being part of an animation.

“My favourite part was spending time with Tilly, Autism Unlimited’s therapy dog, when we did our voiceover.”

The Christchurch charity said the new initiative was aimed at helping people “see the person not the stereotype”.

Siún Cranny, chief executive of Autism Unlimited, said: “We are all very excited by this new campaign which gives a fascinating insight into the challenging lived experiences of autistic people and their families, in situations that many of us would class as ‘everyday’.

“We are very much looking forward to seeing how people respond to the scenarios and, hopefully, how it changes their perspectives of autism.”

Visit www.autism-unlimited.org