Barber goes viral after going to extra effort for child with autism

He's been thanked for raising awareness of it

Published 6th Nov 2015

A barber has gone viral after he went to extra effort to cut the hair of a child with autism.

‘Jim the Trim’ posted on Facebook explaining that after his client, Mason, was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder his mum had been recommended to the barber.

But Jim had to spend a month finding creative ways to cut his hair as Mason didn’t like him to be near his ears. Sometimes he’d run away from the barber too.

What’s the secret? A phone. While Mason was distracted Jim the Trim was able to silently lie on the floor next to him and cut his hair without Mason being scared of the scissors.

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After successfully cutting his hair, Mason passed on the high five and went straight in for a hug.

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Commentators have since thanked him for raising awareness of ASD and shared their stories online.

One woman wrote "We have had such difficulty finding people who understood my son's sensory issues and didn't just try to tell him to "man up" or roll their eyes or make fun of us - to my face. You are such a gift and I would like to thank you on behalf of these children everywhere- I wish we could all have someone with your skill, patience, flexibility and creativity!! Excellent work!!"

And another thanked the barber saying "If we had more people like you us ASD parents would be thrilled to be able to take our kids to get a haircut. Which might not sound much to others but to the parent a child it is a huge achievement. So thank you from the Autism community."