It's time to buff up those dancing shoes for a ladies' night fundraiser complete with stripping local lads next week to fund further therapy that has helped a Helston schoolboy with autism learn to speak.

Two and a half years ago William Stuteley was trapped in his own bubble of emotions, unable to vocalise them or understand the world around him.

Diagnosed with non-verbal autism, at the age of three he still hadn’t said his first word - but after months of intensive therapy he is now in mainstream school, can recognise more than 20 words and has just started learning to write.

It is a journey that has seen his parents Rebecca and Joe forced to sell their house to fund his ABA treatment, which is currently not paid for by the NHS, but it is a decision they have never regretted.

Rebecca said: “He’s still only saying a few words - ‘Mum’ being one! However he is learning to read and has over 20 words he can read. We ask him to point to the word and he recognises it. He’s just started to learn to write too.

“He can order numbers one to 20 and arrange the alphabet in order too. We are hopeful that even if he never speaks fully he can read and write in order to communicate.

“We don’t regret the decisions made, just sad that we had to make it.

“The NHS have just announced that autism is now one of their long term priorities and two research projects are looking into ABA. We are hopeful that in the future other families won’t have to go through what we have.”

In January 2016 the family set up the Hear Will’s Voice fundraising appeal to try and raise £50,000 for Will’s therapy. Despite raising thousands of pounds, Rebecca and Joe found that ultimately they needed to downsize their house to find the funds needed.

Now aged six and about to start year two at Wendron Primary School, which he attends part time, with therapy at home during the rest of the week, Cornwall Council has funded some training for staff in ABA techniques.

“This has been amazing and really helped them understand and plan for Will when he’s at school,” said Rebecca.

The couple still continue to hold fundraising events during school holidays, to give Will extra hours of therapy.

One of these events is taking place on Saturday, August 25 at the Godolphin Club, which will host a Girls R Loud (for the Full Monty) ladies’ night from 8pm.

Some local lads and supporters of Will’s will be performing the Full Monty after wanting to help and they have been rehearing tirelessly for months.

There will also be music, “butlers in the buff” and a raffle, with tickets costing £10 from the Hear Wills Voice Facebook page, the Godolphin Club or BeGorgeous salon in Helston.