TO onlookers it must have seemed like just another case of a child behaving badly.

A mum took her 10-year-old son to a cafe, and when he found his favourite food was not on the menu he threw himself on the floor and started screaming.

But it wasn't a childish tantrum. The boy, Burnley's Andrew Lamenza, has Asperger Syndrome, a little-known condition similar to autism.

Sufferers tend to be immature, have problems interacting with other people and can have learning difficulties.

Andrew's mum, Adele, is one of a group of East Lancashire parents who have set up a support group to help parents cope with what can be a daunting problem.

She told the Citizen: "It can be very hard for parents because even we don't know much about the condition.

"There are many children who sufferer from it, but hardly anyone knows about it. At school they are often thought of as just naughty, and even for doctors it is very difficult to diagnose.

"All sufferers have different symptoms, but they can all be very difficult. Sufferers can have fixations on odd things, such as car number plates, and sometimes they will start speaking in the middle of a sentence and expect you to understand."

Andrew has attended a mainstream primary school in Burnley since he was five, but his condition has only been diagnosed in the last few months.

Adele said: "It took a long time to discover he had Asperger's Syndrome. At first no-one noticed, because all young children act silly."

The support group, Children with Asperger's Syndrome Support in East Lancashire (CASSEL), will meet on the first Monday of every month. Various speakers will visit to offer advice on all aspects of the condition.

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