A KIND-HEARTED Redditch supermarket worker has been praised for her efforts in helping a distressed autistic boy.

Asda colleague Emma Sanders came to the aid of 10-year-old Oscar Goodhand who became upset distressed after seeing a giant Halloween skeleton at the front of the store in Jinnah Road.

The 23-year-old, who works in the George department, asked the youngster what kinds of things he liked.

When he said he was a fan of Star Wars she picked up a pair of Star Wars pyjamas and asked him to talk her through the different characters – and Oscar started to calm down.

Posting on Facebook, his mother Jen Goodhand said Emma "showed a level of care and understanding that we rarely see outside of family".

She added: "Once we were at the rear of the store he was in a total state of sensory overload and the anxiety of the skeleton became too much for him to cope with.

"He (Oscar) quite literally went into a state of panic. Emma understood that we couldn’t just leave the store – we were trapped as far as Oscar was concerned – and we needed to work to comfort and calm Oscar.

"Emma demonstrated what it is to make a difference."

Ms Sanders, whose own son Leo is nearly two, said: "I just saw a scared little boy and my motherly instincts kicked in.

"I tried everything I could think of to calm him down. I wanted to distract him from his thoughts and whatever was upsetting him. I just followed my heart.

She added: "He was a lovely little boy, very clever."

After hearing about Oscar’s experience, the Redditch store removed the skeleton from the entrance and the Halloween decorations are now confined to two aisles.

Ms Goodhand also praised Asda’s new accessible toilet signs which remind people that not every disability is visible.

She added: "Oscar is 10 now and can’t come with me to the ladies and I obviously can’t go into the gents.

"I’m a type 1 diabetic and have a tube into my stomach which sometimes needs moving. We can now use the disabled toilet without having to explain ourselves."