Vickie Sutherland knew there were difficulties with her son Arran when he was four weeks old.

As a baby, he often refused feeding and did not like to be held in his mother's arms. When he became a toddler he would turn rigid if he was taken to a shopping centre in his pram and by the age of two he still hadn't spoken a word.

Now aged seven and living with autism in Dundee, Arran still has what his mother and full-time carer Vickie calls "meltdowns" - spells of anxiety brought about by an overload of information to his vulnerable senses.

To cope, Arran requires an accurately-timed schedule to cope with routine activities such as getting dressed, putting on his shoes and attending school, as well as specialised lighting in his bedroom and regular downtime with his iPad.

He is also a budding footballer, has more than 20 friends and enjoys joining in at soft play with his five-year-old brother Euan.

Arran's ability to go out and enjoy activities with other children is largely down to invaluable work done by his mother.

Vickie, 44, is the National Autistic Society chairwoman for Dundee and Arran and has been instrumental in bringing autism-friendly football sessions to the community, in partnership with the Scottish Football Association and Dundee West FC.

While bringing up her sons on her own, she was initially fearful of going out in public, worried about what passers-by may think if Arran had a meltdown.

Vickie has now challenged people to think twice before passing judgment, after a report showed that almost 50% of families with autistic children in Scotland don't go out in case people react negatively to their children.

In addition to overseeing autism-friendly football sessions, Vickie has encouraged Arran to take part in a variety of activities that meet his needs, as well as assisting his learning with picture exchange communication tools (PECS).

She admits Arran's complex condition has been a strain at times, particularly while juggling the needs of two children when she knew little about autism to begin with.

She said: "I had never come across autism, I had to look it up. The only thing I had seen at that point was Rain Man.

"It was hard for all of us because everything then had to be by a schedule - and life isn't always able to run by routine, especially when you have a baby.

"Keeping things in place to make things easier for Arran could be a bit of a juggle sometimes."

Vickie's involvement with autism-friendly football has grown from a few taster sessions in 2014 to a fully-fledged team with around 20 keen players, both boys and girls, coached by specially-trained SFA staff.

Since joining, Arran's behaviour has noticeably changed - he is keen to make friends, has improved social skills and has made an effort to tackle the concept of losing.

The sport has also united a group of parents that were previously slipping into isolation themselves.

Vickie said: "It has helped me on my journey of accepting Arran's autism. As much as I love him, it is very difficult.

"I would say it has opened up a whole new social network for me that makes me feel I'm not the only one, that people understand and that you belong to something. These parents get the feelings and the upsets that you have."

In conjunction with Autism Awareness Week (April 2-8), the National Autistic Society have launched a series of UK-wide initiatives including night walks and an autism map, connecting parents of autistic children across the country.