Burnley schoolgirl Aleasha is a medical mystery

Aleasha Howcroft was diagnosed with the rare syndrome at the age of eight after her mum, Kirsty, sensed there was something wrong with her daughter.

Kirsty said: "She had already been diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder but I just felt there was something else not right with Aleasha and there was more to it than just that.

"It was just a feeling I had and I knew I was right to trust my instincts."

Thanks to Kirsty's tenacity, Aleasha was referred to the Rainbow Centre at Burnley General Hospital where a paediatrician carried out a blood test.

And the bombshell news that the chestnut haired tomboy has a syndrome known only as 16p13.11 was broken to the family. But for Kirsty it was huge relief that her instincts had proved right.

She said: "At least we knew there was more than the ADHD which is what I had suspected all along.

"It was a relief in a way and once we knew what we were dealing with it meant we could just get on with our lives."

In simple terms the diagnosis means that part of Aleasha's 16th chromosome is missing some material essential for her development. But because so little is known about the condition there are numerous ways it can affect children. And doctors are discovering all the different side and long term effects as they carry out more research into it.

For Aleasha it means she is small for her age and her learning ability is affected. She also suffers from intense anxiety which resulted in Kirsty making the decision to take Aleasha out of mainstream school.

Kirsty said: "Every night she would complain that she felt sick and she didn't want to go to school the next day.