THE upset mother of a severely autistic three-year-old has said she is sick of “constant judgement” when she takes her son out in public.

Natasha Wood, of South Street, Colchester, says she feels embarrassed when she is with her son in public places.

Her son, Leo, suffers with severe autism.

He is non-verbal and also suffers with very high anxiety.

Miss Wood, 33, alleges she was told her son would have to leave the Jobcentre, in Colchester, after he suffered what Miss Wood described as a “meltdown.”

She said: “Me and my partner had to be there for an interview so we had to take our son with us.

“He cannot be left anywhere for too long before he suffers a meltdown.

“He will start hitting himself and hurting himself.

“We had just made another appointment as we didn’t have the right documents with us that day.

“A member of staff came over and asked if we could leave as our son was disturbing other clients.

“I explained Leo’s situation and my partner went to take him outside.

“As he did another member of staff said that he shouldn’t have been inside in the first place.”

“To be fair the woman who was dealing with us quickly turned around and said not to say things like that but the damage was done.”

Miss Wood said she was hurt by the comments.

She said: “It was the way it was said, it was typical judgement from someone who does not understand the condition.

“If Leo was a child in a wheelchair would they have said the same thing?”

A spokesman for the Department of Work and Pensions confirmed the family had visited the branch but said he could find no record of the incident taking place.

Miss Wood said she suffered a similar situation on Tuesday, May 2.

Miss Wood said Leo started to have a “meltdown” when she visited Barclays bank, in High Street, Colchester, to unblock her card.

As she left, she alleges a member of staff approached her and asked why she could not come to the bank when her child was at school or nursery.

Miss Wood said: “I had to visit the bank that day so Leo came with me.

“I was on the phone when he started hitting himself.

“I quickly got off the phone and started to leave, when a member of staff approached me.

“They asked what was wrong with my son and I explained that he was severely autistic.

“They said I could ring the bank over the phone or come in when he was at school or nursery.

"I felt like crying.

“No matter where I go with Leo it feels like I am picked on. It is not his fault.”

A spokesman for Barclays responded to the complaint and said staff are trained to support customers who have additional needs.

She said: “We apologise our customer felt she was not treated in a sympathetic way when she recently visited our High Street, Colchester branch.

“Our staff are trained in supporting customers who have any specific special needs and we would be keen to provide as much assistance as we can in finding the right solution for future visits.”