A LOWTON mum has spoken of her young son's battle with a genetic disorder -- which even many doctors know little about.

Shirley Eckersley's three-year-old son Jared was born with Fragile X -- the most common inherited cause of learning disability.

Until Jared was diagnosed, Shirley had never heard of the condition, although she herself is an unaffected carrier.

She said: "When the doctor told me Jared had Fragile X I had never heard of it. He handed me a leaflet about it to read. It is very difficult to explain because it's not really recognised.

"Plus each case of Fragile X is different -- the doctors can't tell how severe or mild each case is going to be at first."

Shirley, 30, of Rokeby Avenue, usually hands out leaflets to people to explain what Fragile X is.

"It has been very hard. First we had to overcome the initial shock of knowing there was something different about our child and it was all the worse because no one understands what it is."

Jared, who will be four in May, now attends special needs school Two Porches in Atherton.

He has a severe case of Fragile X and Shirley and husband Colin, 34, a key accounts manager at Volex have to keep a constant eye on their son.

She said: "He's very hyperactive, he jumps and bounces around. He has very little concentration and has little eye contact with you.

"He bites his hands and has severe learning difficulties. He is classed as mentally handicapped.

"As with children who have autism, if you change his routine you know about it.

"Also he doesn't have any sense of danger -- he'll just run straight out into the road."

Jared communicates by grabbing people and pointing at things.

He was able to say some words but when the family moved house the upset to his routine caused him to stop talking.

The condition is caused by an abnormality on the X chromosome. Under a microscope a fragile X chromosome has an abnormal appearance at the tip. It looks as if it is broken off but not quite separated.

Boys who are affected almost always have some learning difficulty, ranging from moderate learning difficulties to severe handicap.

But Jared has made good progress since he started going to Two Porches where he is the only pupil with Fragile X.

He is taught in a class of nine and given a lot of individual attention.

Shirley said: "The school is fantastic. The staff love the children to death.

"He can sit for longer now and his concentration has improved."

Jared gets on well with his older sister Martha, aged six, but Shirley says his condition will make her life different too. "They do get on quite well. She understands that Jared has Fragile X. I heard her say last week 'my brother has Fragile X but I love him.' She'll have to be brought up with it -- her life will be different."

Shirley's father is also an unaffected carrier of the disorder. But because he is adopted the family are unable to trace it back any further.

Julie, Shirley's sister, has discovered she is also a carrier. She got married in 1999 and Shirley said she does not yet know what she will do about having children.

But despite everything Jared is a happy little boy.

Shirley said: "Jared is lovely -- he makes us laugh. He is noisy, but he's a very happy little boy. Little things -- like when he waves to us -- are amazing to us."

Anyone who needs advice on Fragile X can contact Shirley via The Journal.