Katie Price wants to help parents of kids with complex special needs to bridge the care gap that can open up when their kids turn 18. Katie and her disabled son Harvey have turned their personal experiences into a documentary, Harvey and Me, which aired recently on BBC television. The film follows Katie and Harvey's difficult search for a residential college, one which will offer him independence while catering for his complex needs. Katie shared some of the journey with Ray D'Arcy on Wednesday's show and the huge reaction she has been getting since it aired.

Harvey Price is living with a range of conditions including autism, ADHD, Prader-Willi syndrome and an eye condition that causes partial blindness. He is acutely sensitive to loud noises, which can scare him and leave him physically and mentally distressed. Katie says Harvey has been a part of her life as long as she has been in the public eye. In her career as glamour model Jordan, she often suffered public judgement for one thing and another. People are now seeing a different side to Katie Price, even though, as she says, this has always been her life:

"I started my career, really, the same time I had Harvey. He's all I know. When I watched the documentary back, to me, oh, that's just Harve! Where other people, you know, since it's been on, they're actually shocked about a lot of it. The challenges and what I actually go through and they can see me as a mum, as a person."

Katie says lots of parents get in touch with her for advice and support. Katie's answer is be loud and proud:

"I get a lot of people asking me questions and stuff. Some people are ashamed, they've got a child or adult they are with has disabilities. I always say never be ashamed. We are all unique in our own way. Some people are embarrassed to go out if they've got a child or adult, like they are scared people will stare. So what if they stare. This is your life: embrace it."

As a mum, Katie has developed techniques to ease Harvey through the day. Mother and son complete each other's sentences and the bond is incredibly close. Harvey has routines with his mum and his four siblings that are very comforting for him. But Katie says however well this works for now, Harvey's dependance on routines mean change is hard and spontaneity impossible:

"You can't just say, ‘Get in the car, we're doing this, we're doing that’. It would confuse him, make him anxious. So you have to do things slowly."

Katie told Ray that she wants her son to gain some independence, to make new friends and to learn to make some decisions for himself:

"I want him to find friends and socialise. He might want to go bowling with them, or the cinema. He might not want to come home to me. You know, it just give him that option. And he deserves it. And he'll be there until he's 25. He's an adult now. So I do have to let him have some kind of independent life skills and be and adult. You know, it's only fair for him. But then he can come back to me. I have to give him the best shot I can. And he deserves it."

With the search to find Harvey a suitable residential place come some difficult conversations. Ray broached a topic that has been raised with him in the past, where parents of disabled kids say they would rather outlive their child than have them suffer in unsuitable long-term care. This resonated with Katie:

"We all speak about it. It's not like we want our kids to die. Certainly not. But the reason we say it is, if you were in our situation, you would understand. The way I describe it to people is, the reason we say it is because we know how to care for them. We know what they want. And if we weren't there, they would not understand. It would break their heart. And to me, to not be there to tickle Harvey they way I do, finish his sentences, the hygiene. Just the little bits he knows."

Katie won't know for a few months if Harvey will be granted the residential place he wants, but the process of making the documentary has led them in unexpected directions. Harvey's interest in trains inspired a railway company to offer him a temporary gig as a train announcer.

Meanwhile, family life goes on, and as the eldest of 5 kids, Katie says Harvey has to do chores like everyone else:

"I don't see Harvey as any different to my other children. I make him do the dishwasher. I make him do things, whether he likes it or not, 'cos I'm like, Harve, don't think you're just gonna sit there, you're gonna help!"

If you want to hear more, Ray’s full interview with Katie Price can be found here: