A YOUNGSTER from Redditch who suffers from a number of debilitating diseases has had his life transformed thanks to a special bed.

Shay Edwards-Taylor suffers from Autism, ADHD, and developmental delay which means he has no awareness of danger and needs someone with him at all times to keep him safe.

The six-year-old doesn’t speak and is uninterested in playing with traditional toys, even with his four-year-old sister, Lana.

Worried about Shay hurting himself and existing on little sleep, his parents, Lisa and Jamie contacted Newlife Foundation for Disabled Children, the UK’s largest charity provider of specialist equipment for children with disabilities and terminal illness.

Now, thanks to a special bed, worth almost £7,000 and known as a SafeSpace, he is for the first time safe from harm during the night and has also been able to play properly for the first time.

Dad Jamie said: “Before, Shay would be up every night, jumping up and down on his bed. It was unsafe and his sleep was very poor.

“Now, he’s happy to go into it, he goes to sleep earlier and we think he feels safe in it.

"It’s very low sensory stimulation in there so he sleeps better too - and if he does wake up we know he can’t hurt himself.

“Having the bed has had an impact on his ADHD as he is generally calmer and sleeping better. We are hoping it will help him concentrate more at school.

"We also think he is using it to regulate his feelings during the day when he’s feeling hyper."

As well as asking for the bed Shay's parents applied for a Play Therapy Pod, loaned out for between 12 and 16 weeks, which came filled specialist toys.

Dad Jamie added: "The equipment from Newlife has transformed everything pretty quickly for us and we are feeling really positive after a difficult few years.

"The SafeSpace for Shay means we don’t have to keep going in to him as we know he’s ok, so we can get more sleep, which is helping us feel better too.”