ITV's This Morning vet Dr Scott Miller reveals autism diagnosis - symptoms explained

A popular regular on ITV's This Morning has revealed they were diagnosed with autism last year.

Dr Scott Miller, the TV show's resident vet, noticed he shared similarities with his daughter, who is non-verbal and autistic. His revelation came on the programme as he introduced a puppy who will be trained to help people with autism.

Dr Miller is working with Dogs for Autism, which trains and provides assistant dogs in the UK.

Speaking to Dermot O'Leary on the show, he said: "I have two children who have autism. My son Jackson is nine and he had speech disorder which means he didn’t speak for the first four years of his life and has a bit of difficulty at school, just emotionally regulating.

"Our youngest, Riley, is non-verbal so she can speak a few little words but not much and I think it’s the companionship of dogs that makes a difference.

"This is a one year anniversary of my own personal diagnoses with autism. That came after my children’s diagnosis, where I just saw some things in them that I could relate to as a child.

"It’s funny because it’s sort of not, because back when we were children, you were just seen as they naughty, disruptive child, who didn’t really fit in. I have spoken to people who have said ‘I was that kid that felt like an alien’ because you didn’t quite fit in."

Symptoms of autism in young children include avoiding eye contact, not talking as much as other children and not playing pretend. In adults, autism can present itself as social anxiety, not understanding sarcasm or phrases and coming off as blunt or rude.

The NHS advises that if you think you or your child has autism, you can speak to your GP or another health professional to get a referral for an autism assessment.