Owen Johnson is five years old and suffers from cerebral palsy.

He didn't start crawling until he was two-and-a-half.

That momentous feat, witnessed by his parents, came after just one day at a Birmingham specialist school.

Previously, his mother Sally Johnson would spend hours trying to motivate her son to move.

Now the bright youngster - who lives in Oakham, Dudley - spends two mornings a week at the National Institute of Conductive Education in Moseley with a team of teachers and therapists.

His frustration at his own body, which does not allow him to do the things most fiveyearolds take for granted like walking and playing football, is evident.

When Owen was born at Wordsley Hospital in Stourbridge on April 18 1999, his brain was deprived of oxygen, which led to him developing cerebral palsy. However, consultants did not formally diagnose his condition until eight months later.

Mrs Johnson, aged 30, said: "After he was born we were told there was a chance he may have cerebral palsy and we should take each day as it comes, so that's what we did. We knew something wasn't right, but when the consultant said it was spastic cerebral palsy we thought he was going to die, because nobody had explained what it was."

When part of the brain is damaged, it can affect or block impulses transmitted through the nerves, which can make simple tasks like answering a phone or picking up a pen virtually impossible.

In Owen's case most forms of movement are difficult. As he got older, midwives and carers noticed his constant need for attention and mental stimulation.

Mrs Thomson added: "It was one of his carers who first mentioned conductive education, so I began finding out as much as I could about it. I took Owen to an open day in August 2002 and the following month he was accepted into the nursery there.

"Within a few months of starting there, I noticed his arm movements had improved and he was becoming more flexible.

"He was also a lot more confident, and I don't think any of this would have happened if he hadn't gone to the centre."

Her son's specialist treatment has been guaranteed for the next two years, following a £10,000 grant from the Caudwell Trust, which sponsors worthy causes across the region.

Lesley Peat, the centre's director of fund-raising, said: "When we teach movements by breaking them down into a series of simple steps which are repeated.

"This is not available on the NHS and we are an independent school, but in some cases the LEA will award grants for the fees. Owen is certainly testament to what children with cerebral palsy can achieve here."

Mrs Johnson is in no doubt that her son, who also attends Sledemere Primary School in Dudley, is flourishing as a result.

She said: "His teachers here and at Sledemere say he's very bright, which has brought home how much he's improved since he first came here. He loves using his computer and the internet, otherwise he watches Challenge TV rather than CBeebies."

She added: "He's fully aware of his condition, what it is and how to cope. He's an amazing little man."