A MAN from Chippenham is hoping to encourage others to seek solace in faith after opening up about his struggles with autism.

Paul Treacy has struggled his whole life with feeling disconnected from normality, but says he has found strength in his faith.

His book 'Challenging institutional unfairness and encouraging the faith' has already been sold in Japan, Australia and Russia, but it is now being re-released in an attempt to shine a light on what life is like for people on the autistic spectrum, and how having faith has helped to guide him through.

The 45-year-old explained: “Having faith has helped me in so many ways. Just having the belief that it’s not always going to be like this, one day you can be born into something better is inspiring for me.

“I always thought about what’s out there, but I found my own faith a little later in life.”

Paul added that part of what sparked the idea is to educate people from all walks of life, but noticed that his own community of the church has been one that he has struggled to integrate himself into.

He stated: “I also wanted to express what it’s like with the church in this country. People don’t know how to interact with you, and there needs to be a better understanding from that community. They don’t know how to handle certain types of situations and it can be very awkward.”

He told this newspaper: “People who read the initial one said it’s really good, so I’m hoping what I’ve added to it now can help make some change. We’ll see what happens.

Paul is determined that equality can only come with understanding.

He said: “We’re not looking for special treatment, we don’t want to see autistic symbols everywhere. We just need to be treated with respect and dignity.”

Recently, Paul read a sub-chapter of the book on his YouTube channel, titled ‘Why do you act the way you do?’. In this, he noted: “I’ve had to watch, and grin and bear it, while many of my peers have progressed through life to get ahead more, while I can only get so far. This notion that I rub people up the wrong way because of my traits, and how I handle certain matters is one that I’ve heard so many times through the years."