Vikky Turner has just released a new book telling how the arrival of a four-legged friend transformed her son's life.

Reporter Naomi Herring spoke to the mother to find out what inspired her to put pen to paper.

It's fair to say life was miserable for the Turner family six years ago.

Severely autistic six-year-old Toby was struggling to cope and his pain was felt by his parents and brothers.

While things have turned around now for the family from Oxlip Leyes in Bicester, his mother Vikky Turner said things looked bleak for everyone.

Mrs Turner said: "We were a family in crisis.

"We had a broken little boy, a six-year-old with autism who was having trouble at school and had been excluded for the third time.

"When he got in trouble he would come home and it would take ages to get him back to feeling any self-worth.

"He would turn all the family photographs of himself round and feel he was a really bad person.

"He would even say things like the family would be better off without him, to which I would say my heart would be broken forever he was not here."

Severely autistic Toby would become incredibly upset at his own aggression and used sunglasses and ear phones as a 'bubble of safety'.

The impact was felt by the whole family, including dad Neil, older brother Joe, now 16 and younger brother Ollie, now 8.

The moment of change came when they linked up with charity Dogs for Good. Previously Toby's condition meant trips outside were difficult but after Sox the black Labrador retriever joined the family everything changed.

Toby, now 12, said: "Our family couldn’t go out before we had Sox and were always stuck inside.

"I would hide away with my head phones in and my sunglasses on because I have sensitive eyes.

"Asperger's children don’t do well in crowds, for me it was all the hustle and bustle and I would run away when I was scared."

The family found it difficult to go out all together, with even trips to school a 'military operation'.

Mrs Turner heard about assistance dogs and after researching just cried at the computer screen after reading all the stories.

Dogs for Good worked with the family to match them with a dog and train both Sox and the Turners to work together.

The 12-year-old Marlborough School pupil at the Ormerod base said: "I was already feeling misery but Sox is so full of joy and so happy you can’t feel anything but happiness.

"Sox is my entire world and has made such a difference to all our lives.

"He made a difference to me which is like day and night - one moment I was walking through a desert in the dark but Sox came along and it was as if it became light and a desert full of flowers.

"He is a big black dog who is always excited, it is impossible to be angry around him."

So profound was the change on everyone, Mrs Turner wanted to tell the world about their experiences so has written a book telling the tale.

Called Toby and Sox, it tells the story of an instant change in the family the moment the canine friend came along.

The 44-year-old mum said: "The main thing is he needed a companion and the safety harness between Toby and Sox was a god-send.

"For example, the only way we could do the school run before was with his sunglasses on and head phones in, as his own little bubble of safety.

"But the first school walk – which takes 15mins - with Sox we were out for an hour and a half whilst Toby stopped to speak with people about Sox along the way.

"Toby and our family focus changed to looking after the dog and having fun."

Mrs Turner, has spent a 'cathartic' year writing the book and admits it was upsetting at times to relive but also lovely to show what they have overcome.

She said: "It has just had such an amazing response, it is sometimes scary to put yourself out there and I keep thinking this is just our family and our story.

"But at the end if we can reach out to people and also raise awareness of the great work that Dogs for Good do as a charity then we will do what we can."

Toby added: "There is so many people suffering from Asperger’s all over the world and dogs for good is trying to solve the problem.

"We hope the book will give people hope who are feeling the same."

The book Toby and Sox is being sold on Amazon, Waterstones, WHSmith and Asda, plus independent book stores.

For more information see facebook.com/TobyandSox