This Mall Santa Went the Extra Mile for Child With Autism

Erin Deely was hesitant to bring her son Brayden to meet Santa Claus.

Besides, her child has autism and the whole experience might just frighten him. Most of the time, the noise and environment can scare him. Fortunately, the ‘Caring Santa’ in SouthPark Mall, Charlotte, North Carolina was just as his name implied. He knew exactly what to do to make the brief encounter nice and memorable. In fact, he was specifically trained about how to treat children with disabilities and other difficult conditions.

Erin later said:

“I thought we would never get those holiday pictures with him because it’s something he can’t handle – the noise, and the pressure. He gets anxious if you ask him to smile, it’s all too much for him.

Oh my gosh, to be able to do something that other families do…normally a lot of things are harder for us as a family and we got to do the same tradition as everyone else, we just do it on the floor.”

Photo credit: Autism Speaks

Photo credit: Autism Speaks

Kudos to this Caring Santa for making Brayden merry this Christmas season!

How to Deal with Autistic Children

Discovering that your child has autism can be shocking but studies confirm the fact that it is possible to have strong bond with these children despite their conditions. Although it is incurable, your task is to help improve his or her ability to function.

That’s why as parents, it is important that you do your best to learn all you can about autism. That way, you will be able to understand your child better.

Part of that quest is to have a strong network to support you. Fortunately, there are a lot of social media groups and forums that provide help for parents of autistic children and that’s a useful resource you can tap. Just hearing tips and experiences from other parents can be priceless.

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