Gregg Wallace reveals autistic son Sid, 4, has spoken his first words in video of ‘best Mother’s Day present’ to wife
GREGG Wallace has revealed his nonverbal, autistic son has spoken his first words.
The MasterChef judge, 59, shared the happy news about Sid, four, while his wife Anne-Marie Sterpini, 37, described it as the ‘best Mother’s Day present’.
Just last year Gregg told The Sun he feared the youngster might never be able to speak and that he has had to find other ways to communicate with his youngest.
But yesterday Gregg shared a video of the huge milestone and proudly told his fans: “Sid is counting! It’s his first words!”
A delighted Anna also shared the clip, writing: “The best Mother’s Day present I could ever have.
“This little boy has made me the happiest I could ever be. I am so proud of him. This is Sid and his voice.”
Not only is Sid counting to ten in the clip, but he also then counts backwards.
The couple were inundated with supportive messages from their followers.
Sid was diagnosed with autism in 2022.
Speaking about the difficulties that come with that, Gregg said last year: “The biggest challenge is… they’re fears more than anything else. If he’s upset or he’s unwell, at the moment, he can’t tell us, and I’m not sure how he would communicate that to us.
“He started school and, of course, you can’t say ‘are you making friends?’ So all you’ve got is him skipping into school and looking forward going into school.”
Gregg previously said he went into “mourning” after the diagnosis and he stepped back from TV’s Inside The Factory after seven years to spend more time at home and help his wife find a suitable school for the lad.
He told us how social situations that many take for granted require a little bit more planning to ensure they run without a hitch.
He explained: “An issue is the public understanding when you go out that you haven’t got a naughty child, you’ve got a child that simply doesn’t understand the concept of ‘be good and we’ll give you ice cream’ or ‘it will be here in a minute’.
“You can’t bribe or threaten him. When he’s bored or fed up, that’s it.
“Of course, he can’t use cutlery. He’s very particular about the food he eats. If you’re going to try and go out for lunch you have to tell the pub first you’re bringing your own food for your little boy.”
Autism is a neurodevelopmental condition that impacts people socially and developmentally in a myriad of ways.
What are the signs and symptoms of ASD?
The NHS outlines the signs of symptoms of autism spectrum disorder in school-age children.
Spoken language
- preferring to avoid using spoken language
- speech that sounds very monotonous or flat
- speaking in pre-learned phrases, rather than putting together individual words to form new sentences
- seeming to talk “at” people, rather than sharing a two-way conversation
Responding to others
- taking people’s speech literally and being unable to understand sarcasm, metaphors or figures of speech
- reacting unusually negatively when asked to do something by someone else
Interacting with others
- not being aware of other people’s personal space, or being unusually intolerant of people entering their own personal space
- little interest in interacting with other people, including children of a similar age, or having few close friends, despite attempts to form friendships
- not understanding how people normally interact socially, such as greeting people or wishing them farewell
- being unable to adapt the tone and content of their speech to different social situations – for example, speaking very formally at a party and then speaking to total strangers in a familiar way
- not enjoying situations and activities that most children of their age enjoy
- rarely using gestures or facial expressions when communicating
- avoiding eye contact
Behaviour
- repetitive movements, such as flapping their hands, rocking back and forth, or flicking their fingers
- playing in a repetitive and unimaginative way, often preferring to play with objects rather than people
- developing a highly specific interest in a particular subject or activity
- preferring to have a familiar routine and getting very upset if there are changes to their normal routine
- having a strong like or dislike of certain foods based on the texture or colour of the food as much as the taste
- unusual sensory interests – for example, children with ASD may sniff toys, objects or people inappropriately
For Sid, one of these is a delay to toilet training, but Gregg told how he was hopeful his new school will help him grasp it.
Gregg continued: “He’s still in nappies as well, but we’re very fortunate with the school. They’re going to try and work on his toilet training.”
Gregg has two grown up children – Tom and Libby – from a previous relationship.