A mum penned an open letter to a stranger who offered her some kind words when her son threw a tantrum at a hairdressers.
Jaime Fahs Nystuen, from the US, shared her story on the Frank Somerville Facebook page.
Explaining that her son, who has autism, hates going to the hairdressers, she said he screamed, cried and nearly vomited when he got there.
Addressing the stranger, she wrote: “You sat next to us and watched. You saw my husband and I struggle to hold him still and bribe him with a trip to the library.
“You didn’t scoff at the screaming or stare at us.“You kindly mentioned you’d been in our position just last week when your young twins got their haircuts.
“What you didn’t know is that our son has autism and this haircut, like all the others, is a torturous experience every time.”
Nystuen continued: “Today’s haircut was more upsetting than usual but autism is like knowing which way the wind will blow - any day could be the next tornado of a sensory overload meltdown.”
The mum called the stranger’s gesture the “nicest thing anyone has ever done” for her family and added: “I’ll never forget your kindness.”
Parents of children with autism commented on the post with similar stories.
“This was us a few years ago,” one mother wrote. “My son formed a relationship with his stylist and at the end of dad’s cut, my little guy would get a lollipop, he looked forward to it.
“One day my husband asked if he wanted to jump in the chair and get his hair cut, he didn’t hesitate, he eagerly got in the chair and let her cut his hair.”
Another shared: “Wow I can completely relate. My son also has autism and haircuts were a source of misery for all.
“I have to thank all the barbers who helped us over the years. We finally started doing it ourselves at home with clippers and over time he has desensitised.”
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