Family pleads for safe home as boy with autism and pica wrecks their house

A North Lanarkshire family is appealing for a council-adapted home after six-year-old Steven, who has severe autism and a rare eating disorder known as pica, began destroying items in the house and eating nonfood objects. The Murphys say their private-rented home is unsafe and they have been on the council housing waiting list for three years.

Leigh Murphy, 29, says she must constantly supervise Steven, who eats sand, mud and his bedroom walls, sometimes exposing electrical wires. The family, from Cumbernauld, North Lanarkshire, has lived in private rental housing for three years while awaiting a council home. They want an adaptable bungalow in Cumbernauld with padding in the bedroom, a wet room and vents to ensure air and to discourage climbing out, so Steven can stay in a space designed for his needs. The home currently lacks the safety features to prevent him from reaching dangerous objects, and the family fears accidents that could result from his behavior.

Steven’s grandmother first raised concerns about possible autism when he was about one year old, noting he would not meet eyes with people and behaved differently from his peers. Over the past five years, Steven has had a multidisciplinary team around him, but he was only officially diagnosed with autism, pica and intellectual disability in May, after lengthy waiting lists and referral delays.

Leigh decided to step back from her work as an A&E clinical support worker when Steven was four-and-a-half to care for him, leaving the family to cope with the daily challenges of a condition that can drive severe property damage and living-safety concerns.

"It’s horrendous - there is no safe space to put him," Leigh said, describing the danger of daily life in a cramped private rental. "He destroys everything. He’s so strong. He just knocks me over. It’s terrifying. Where do we go from here? I’ll walk in and he’s got wires hanging out the wall."

The boy’s bedroom has become a near-skeletal space to limit harm: Leigh said she has stripped it down to a mattress to prevent him from chewing on fixtures, while policing every other room. She recalled moments when he has chewed carpeting or wallpaper and even touched exposed electrical wiring, underscoring the urgent safety needs a purpose-built home could address. "You can’t turn your back for a second. You turn your back for dinner and the wallpaper is off the wall," she added.

To the family, the nickname Wreck it Ralph captures the day-to-day reality of living with Steven’s condition. In the living room, the home is pared to essentials — two couches and a TV — while other areas are kept out of reach or locked away. The family is seeking an adaptable bungalow that would allow padding in key areas, a wet room to manage hygiene, and adequate ventilation to maintain air flow without enabling escape attempts.

The Murphys’ situation is compounded by the housing market: three years on the waiting list, and no suitable council homes currently available in their area. Leigh and her husband, also named Steven, remain hopeful that the council can identify a solution, but they acknowledge that finding an adaptable property in Cumbernauld may take time given the scarcity of council housing and the prevalence of housing association stock in the region.

A spokesman for North Lanarkshire Council said the authority understands the family’s situation and is working closely with social work colleagues to support their needs. The type of property required — an adaptable bungalow in Cumbernauld — is in very short supply, and most homes in the area are owned by housing associations rather than the council. The council said it currently has no suitable council housing available but, with the family’s agreement, is engaged with partner landlords to explore every option. While this is being treated as a priority, finding the right property may take time.

The family hopes that a properly adapted home would allow Steven to have a true safe space where caregivers can rest easier and the child can manage his condition with fewer daily hazards. Leigh said that simply knowing Steven has a safe room would bring a long-awaited sense of relief: "Just to know he’s going into his room and it’s a safe space will mean I can sleep. For once in six years I’ll be able to take a breath and know he’s OK. I’m running on air."