A doting mother is thrilled after being awarded £7,800 from The Argus Appeal to help adapt her home for her young son who has a rare genetic disorder.

Three-year-old Reuben Woods was diagnosed with Tetrasomy 18p, which makes walking, eating and learning difficult for him, in addition to other complications.

His mother, Natalie Woods, 46, from Thornhill Rise, Portslade, said shortly after he was born she knew Reuben was not meeting the developmental milestones like other children of his age.

Reuben’s twin sister, Betsy, grew and developed on schedule but Reuben struggled to feed and put on weight.

When he was four months old, Natalie took him for tests and two months later, doctors delivered the bad news.

According to a study published in the Taiwanese Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology in 2012, Tetrasomy 18p is a chromosome disorder which occurs in one in 180,000 people in the general population of Europe.

Typically, an affected individual would have speech problems, spinal malformation, anomalies on the head and facial area, increased reflex actions and kidney malfunctions.

Natalie said: “The disorder affects him physically and intellectually. Sometimes Reuben has epileptic episodes.

“Reuben has reached the final stage of weaning, he is making progress but just more slowly.

“He has muscle development problems, and he has high tone muscle in his legs which means he can’t control them.

“He can’t hold himself well and his co-ordination is poor.

“Reuben is in the early stages of learning to walk but he can’t move about independently.

“He even needs support when he sits.

“Reuben uses a specialist pram or his Kaye walker but sometimes they’re not very easy to use so he falls over or crashes into the wall.

“Sometimes Reuben resorts to crawling to get around the house.”

Even though Reuben lives with challenges, his mother said he was a lovable and cheeky boy who enjoyed going to the nursery, which is the Jeanne Saunders Centre in Palmeira Avenue, Hove.

Natalie said the nursery had given the family vital support.

Determined to give the best to her son, Natalie has set up a Just Giving page to raise enough money to adapt their home to make it more accessible for him. She said: “Unfortunately the Disabled Facilities Grant allocated to us fell short by £15,000.

“We have raised £7,200 ourselves but we want to especially thank The Argus for their kind and generous donation.

“The money has made such a big difference for us and this means a lot to us.

“This is a very special present for Reuben.

“We plan to build a downstairs bedroom with an ensuite level access shower room.

“This will help Reuben to learn to live more independently.

“We need to extend our living space to ensure we have sufficient space for Reuben to move freely around,

and to accommodate his specialist supportive chair for eating and his Kaye walker.

“The adaptations have been approved by a social care occupational therapist.

“The funds will also help us make the garden safer and more suitable for him.

“Reuben loves playing in the garden so we want to put in artificial grass so he can have a softer landing if he falls over.”

Argus editor Arron Hendy said: “We are absolutely delighted the money can help Reuben and his family.

“Reuben is a very brave lad and he needs our support.

“We are pleased the appeal can make a difference in his life.

“This is what The Argus appeal is all about.”

Natalie said the nursery has also given vital support.

Reuben also has problems with his eye, particularly his left one, and a history of choking on his food.

Although his chewing has improved, he still struggles with some foods.

Natalie said: “He still can’t eat crunchy foods that require biting and chewing.

“Because of his learning disability, he has a delayed understanding of the world and he has no awareness of danger.

“He finds it hard to engage in activities because he can’t concentrate much.

“His play skills are limited and he needs support to play with toys as he struggles to know what toys do or how to make them work.”

Despite not finding much enjoyment in toys, Reuben enjoys having a nice dip in water and sensory lights.

His twin and his older sister, Lily-May, eight, both know their brother is different and love him dearly.

Reuben adores his sisters and enjoys playing with them even though he does not fully understand what they are doing.

The youngster’s infectious smile brings joy and happiness to the family.

Natalie said: “He is happy and he absolutely loves people.

“He loves silly noises and actions that make him laugh – and his giggles are so adorable.

“He is gentle and loving and loves cuddles.

“He loves messy play, sensory lights, water play, soft play, music and swings and adores his swimming lessons that I take him to once a week.

“He delights in mimicking sounds and people. This is also a new skill for him.

“He will be going to Hillside School in Portslade in September and he’s very excited.

“We’re very grateful we’ve got so much support for Reuben.”

The Argus Appeal supports needy groups and organisations across the county.

Last year, its 60th, it was honoured with the Queen’s Award for voluntary service in the community.