The father of a three-year-old boy who died on Saturday after drowning in a swimming pool in Gozo paid tribute to his son on Monday.

He said he would be collecting funds for a Gozitan care home that provides residency for people with disability and autism during his son's funeral on Wednesday.

James Micallef died after he drowned in a swimming pool. The boy was given first aid by police officers and died shortly after he was taken to Gozo General Hospital.

On Monday, his father, Joseph Micallef, took to Facebook to pay tribute to his son and reflected on the challenges of raising a child with autism. He said autism is a spectrum, and not everyone is affected in the same way.

“Our James never called me papa," Micallef said.

"His brother, George, is the same, I never heard him call out to me.” 

Micallef said parents whose children were "like our angels” understood how much energy they had and how much patience was needed to care for them. They were also aware of the lack of state-funded sensory diet service and multi-sensory rooms in Gozo.

He added fellow parents of children with autism could understand the need for centres like Dar L-Arka that provided them with some respite when they were feeling overwhelmed.

Dar Arka is a respite centre in Għajnsielem run by the church's Arka Foundation - a voluntary and non-governmental organisation that hosts people with disabilities and promotes their welfare. 

Micallef added that the Arka Foundation would soon be converting another building into a specialised residence for people with disabilities, including autism.

Donations can be made directly to Arka Foundation via bank transfer with IBAN:  MT31VALL22013000000040017808653