Something as simple as getting a haircut can be a daunting task when you have a child with autism. Those with autism can become upset when their routine is changed and may experience sensory sensitivity that can cause stress, anxiety, and meltdowns when they experience hypersensitivity or hyposensitivity to sights, lights, color, sounds, smells, tastes, and touches.
Sixteen-year-old Evan OโDwyer was having the best of days when he came into Donncha OโConnellโs barber shop, the Baldy Barber in Blackpool Ireland, for a haircut.
OโConnell had been cutting OโDwyerโs hair for the last 14 years and understood how OโDwyerโs family sometimes struggled with daily tasks since he is nonverbal and lives with autism. So, it wasnโt that much of a surprise when OโDwyer ran out of the barber shop mid-hair cut to find his safe space, the familyโs minivan.
โHe sat in the chair first and as soon as the clippers started he was out of the chair,โ OโDwyerโs mother Deirdre told metro.co.uk. โHis brother Dylan got him back in the chair again but it wasnโt working. I could see Evan was getting anxious and agitated, so I knew to avoid a meltdown the best thing to do was to get him in the car.โ
OโConnell wanted to make sure he finished the job of giving OโDwyer a nice haircut while making him feel calm and secure. So, he walked right out to the familyโs car and finished the hair cut inside while OโDwyerโs brother Dylan held his hands.
OโDwyerโs family was so touched by OโConnellโs gesture that they posted a tribute to him on OโDwyerโs Facebook page.
โItโs great when you have a brilliant barber and who totally understand autism and who will go to any lengths to make your child feel comfortable,โ OโDwyerโs Facebook page read. โDonncha O Connell Snr has been cutting Evanโs hair for the past 14 years but today Evan had other ideas and refused to stay in the chair so Donncha and his brother Dylan improvised and he cut his hair in the car. Fair play Donncha always making Evan feel at ease.โ
That post went viral and was shared more than 2,000 times and was even picked up by the Love What Matters Facebook page, according to Fox News.
โSo when I put up the post today about Evan getting his haircut, I never dreamed it would get such a reaction,โ Deidre OโDwyer wrote in a follow-up Facebook post. โHereโs hoping other parents who have children on the spectrum realise that there are kind and caring people out there willing to go above and beyond to help make a difference to our challenging everyday lives.โ
Check out the video about this act of kindness and compassion below.
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