Kaite Price: Harvey's move to college 'terrifying'

The Brighton-born mother of five is faced with having to move her disabled son Harvey into further education, as part of the BBC One documentary, Katie Price: Harvey and Me.

The deeply personal film shows the former glamour model and her son in a crucial year of his life, as he turns 18 and becomes an adult.

The teenager was born with septic optic dysplasia, a rare disorder that affects brain function and impacts one in 10,000 births.

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As he moves into adulthood, it marks a transition into unknown waters, as no other known adults have Harvey’s condition.

Price said searching for a specialist college has been a “new journey” for her.

She told the BBC: “It’s not easy and it’s terrifying.

“It’s not straightforward, where you can just choose a college.

“They have to have the right nursing team and know how to deal with his challenging behaviour.

“He needs to have his independence and I think he’ll enjoy it - make friends.

“I want him to be in a room with his mates while he plays the keyboard and sings his songs.

“I was at crisis point.

“It was affecting the other kids, it was the danger-zone for him, smashing the house up.

“I hated him going to residential. I cried. But I saw he was happy there.”

As the documentary reveals, Harvey’s autism can lead to meltdowns when he becomes overwhelmed or distressed by a situation.

This led to him punching holes in the walls of the Price house.

In the UK, children with long-term health conditions are cared for by child health and social care services until they turn 18 and transfer to adult services.

The colleges suitable for Harvey include some in Camden, Wales, Sunderland and Somerset.

To find the perfect home, the pair have visited as many as possible but the process, as revealed in first part of the documentary last night, has been made even more difficult by the coronavirus pandemic.

The film is available to view on the iPlayer.