A four-year-old boy eats his nappies daily because of a rare eating disorder which saw him start to eat tissue paper at the age of two.
William Buckley has been attempting to eat objects that aren't food since he was tiny after being diagnosed with Pica, which sees people crave things which hold no nutritional value.
His mum Marie Buckley, 32, has opened up about her son's condition in the hope of bringing more awareness and share the reality of hidden disabilities.
The mum from Hull, East Yorkshire, has shared the difficulties in dealing with Pica which sees William eat items like nappies, furniture, paper, fluff, toys, and books.
He even recently ate part of his new bed.
Marie, who works part-time as a training coordinator, has had to remove books and soft toys from his room and distract him during the day.
Marie explained: "PICA is a condition in which one is attracted to eating things that contain no nutritional value.
"It's really difficult to diagnose in children as a lot of professionals will just expect a child to grow out of it.
"William hasn't always tried to eat his nappies, this is a new problem within the last three to six months.
"He tries to eat them on a daily basis and more so at night when he's in his bedroom.
"William will eat paper; he ate half a book when it was on the wrong shelf in his room.
"He eats mattress protectors as they were fluffy around the edges so we had to change the material.
"He'll also eat carpet fibres, soft toys, the rain cover on his stroller and any form of fluff or hair.
"It's a work in progress; I removed all books and soft toys from his room.
"During the day, I can run interference and distract him but on a night it's proving difficult."
William is currently still at pre-school after waiting to be placed in a suitable school for his needs as he also has ASD (autism spectrum disorder), GDD (global developmental delay), and SPD (sensory processing disorder).
Marie, who co-parents William, added: "The lack of awareness around William's conditions is shocking.
"The cruelness in the comments people make is appalling.
"I had no idea what any of these conditions were and if it wasn't for support groups on Facebook, I wouldn't know nearly as much as I do now.
"Professionals and organisations don't seem to talk to each other which means they may offer advice on one condition which contradicts another.
"William's disabilities are hidden but it doesn't make them any less viable."
