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A 'locked in' boy who was written off as unteachable has been taught to 'speak' by his mother by using his EYES - and is now a blogger and author.

Jonathan Bryan, ten, was born with severe cerebral palsy after his mum Chantal, 39, was in a car crash while pregnant, leaving him unable to walk and speak.

His family were told he had 'profound and multiple learning disabilities ' and teachers did not teach him to read and write.

But his determined mother refused to give up and taught him how to use his eyes to pick pre-chosen words.

One day he had a "breakthrough" and amazingly began spelling out whole words.

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In just over a year Jonathan went from being totally silent to saying whatever he wanted via his spelling boards - and now can write complex poems and stories.

He now has a reading age beyond his years and is using his new-found voice to campaign for better education of disabled youngsters.

Jonathan has written an eloquent letter the Education Minister, Nicky Morgan, calling for more to be done to help non-verbal children in schools.

He has even entered the BBC Radio 2 500 word story competition, taking 30 hours to write the piece using his eye movements and a spelling board.

Speaking via his spelling board, Jonathan said: "If more people had believed in me I would have learnt to read and write at the same time as my peers in the mainstream class.

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"What brings me incredible sorrow is watching my non-verbal friends in wheelchairs miss out on the fullness of life because no-one believes that they are worth teaching literacy to.

"They are waiting locked in for someone to give them a chance to have a voice.

"Before, I felt like a bird in a cage. Now it is great. I love being able to tell my family and friends that I love them.

"It has made a massive difference for me being able to say what I want.

"My dream is that every child like me is taught to read write and spell using the best access method for them."

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Proud Chantal, from Chippenham, Wilts., said: "It was a breakthrough. I can't describe what that's like to be able to talk to your child for first time."

Jonathan was born at 36 weeks and four days after his mother suffered a placental abruption when she was involved in a car crash.

He has severe cerebral palsy, kidney failure and supplemental oxygen dependency, leading to him have a limited life expectancy.

Doctors said he had suffered a lot of brain damage and one remarked he had "the worst MRI scan he had ever seen".

He attended a specialist school for disabled children but was never taught to read and write.

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Chantal, who also has daughters Susannah, seven, and Jemima, four, said: "Jonathan later told me it was 'babysitting'.

"High level babysitting admittedly - lots of lovely activities, but no learning."

The family were visited by an expert who suggested that Jonathan may be able to communicate through his eyes.

Chantal started to home-school him aged seven and began by teaching him to spell, until he was able to choose pre-selected words.

But fast-learner Jonathan got bored of his mum's chosen words when he was writing a story, aged nine.

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"Unlike an adult who is locked in, I needed to teach Jonathan to spell," said Chantal, who is married to Christopher, 40, a vicar.

"Then after a year and a half, we were working on a story, and he kept selecting the 'spelling board'.

"He was unlocked. He was writing something quite original and he spelled out the word 'myriad'.

"I asked him a whole load of questions, and in some ways it was quite reassuring to realise that we did know Jonathan all along.

"But there were things that he had been sitting on for years. He told us about a time when he was really ill in hospital and he went to Jesus' garden.

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"He spoke in detail about being able to play and run.

"There is no way, using any other communication system, he would have got to the point he was able to tell us something like that.

"I asked him what the most frustrating thing was for him, and I expected him to say not being able to speak. He said it was having his face washed."

Jonathan uses three boards - letters, numbers and punctuation - which are held up in front of him, so he can make a selection with his eyes.

He now attends a mainstream school in the afternoons and writes a blog about his experiences along with poems and short stories.

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He has also written to Education Minister, Nicky Morgan, calling for more to be done to help non-verbal children in schools.

"If literacy was taught to children in special schools more children would be unlocked like me," he wrote.

"My dream is that every non-verbal child is taught to read and write.

"Underestimating special needs children is robbing them of their right to education and communication.

"Until this is seen as the abuse it is, nothing will change. Reforming the special needs curriculum must be a priority."

Jonathan, who loves to bake bread in his bread-maker, added: "I'm in the unique position of knowing what this feels like having been in the special school system for five years prior to being able to spell.

"My dream is that every child like me is taught to read write and spell using the best access method for them."

His blog is at www.eyecantalk.net