Barber Goes Extra Mile To Conquer Autistic Boy’s Fear Of Haircuts
Mason, a young boy recently diagnosed with autistic spectrum disorder in the UK, was terrified of haircuts and would often run away whenever his barber, James Williams, would try to cut his hair. By taking things down to Mason’s level, however, not only was Williams able to give him a haircut, but he got a thank-you hug from Mason as well!
“We both layed on the floor in silence & he allowed me to cut away & give him his first proper haircut, again achieving something in a job I love,” Williams wrote on Facebook. We hope Mason is thrilled with his new fresh ‘do, too!
More info: Facebook (h/t: themighty)
Mason was terrified of haircuts and would run away whenever his barber tried to cut his hair
His barber, James Williams, decided to take things down to Mason’s level
“We both layed on the floor in silence & he allowed me to cut away & give him his first proper haircut, again achieving something in a job I love”
Image credits: James Williams
Image credits: Jamie Lewis
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There was an article not too long ago about a woman who had an autistic child and tried to bring him in to get his haircut. The minute he got in the chair she started screaming. One of the customers a few chairs down got up and got in the mothers face saying something along the lines of " how dare you bring that thing in here while adults are trying get a relaxing haircut. Next time just cut his hair at home so we don't have to listen to that". At which point the poor mother grabbed her son and ran out of the building. The stylist grabbed some scissors and a comb and ran after the mother. They sat in the parking lot on the ground and finished the boys haircut. The nasty woman was told to leave and never come back.
Can't believe people would say things like that. Lucky they're in the minority & the salon made sure there were consequences for her
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My son with autism when young, I had to cut his hair. I discovered that pulling him towards the side of the bed. I could cut his hair while he slept and the cuttings fell to paper on the floor. He slept soundly, never noticing, never squirming, and never having to go through angst. He is high functioning Aspergers now, drives, 2 jobs, University. He takes himself for hair cuts now.
Aww, he's a cutie. I admire the barber's willingness to accommodate :D and you got through to this boy! He gave you a hug! That is an AMAZING thing, treasure that hug forever :D
Where is this barber? My nephew is autistic &, like Mason, hates having his haircut, so this wonderful barber would be great for him!
He lives in Briton Ferry, United Kingdom as you can find on his Facebook page
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My nephew isn't autistic but when he was smaller haircuts were terrifying to him too. Most of the people working on his hair were callous and had no idea how to deal with kids. We need more like this guy!
I commend the barber. I have cut hair for 30 years. I have done many things to sooth kids with fears. But, I never thought of what he did.
My youngest has autism and it took a long time before he was ready to go to a proper hair stylist--I find that the best thing to do is let the hairdresser know he is anxious and to really stress that precision isn't as much of a priority as speed is--he gets really antsy if someone takes a long time and continues to snip tiny snips when he's had enough. My oldest does not have autism but was terrified of having his hair cut when he was 3 or 4 and would wriggle and cry to the point that it became almost impossible to find a stylist who could handle it. Anyways, older son was obsessed with Superman and Spiderman at the time, so I (having spoken about it the day before to the barber) told him that this guy cut both Spiderman and Superman's hair--that guy was a sport. My son was slightly dubious but after asking a few test questions, he was convinced his hair was being cut by the same guy who cut the hair of his heroes. Worked like a charm! Phew!
People are awesome. James & Mason are awesome. We need more people like James! God bless Mason!
This is so wonderful! <3 It's always inspirint when people have sensitivity.
There was an article not too long ago about a woman who had an autistic child and tried to bring him in to get his haircut. The minute he got in the chair she started screaming. One of the customers a few chairs down got up and got in the mothers face saying something along the lines of " how dare you bring that thing in here while adults are trying get a relaxing haircut. Next time just cut his hair at home so we don't have to listen to that". At which point the poor mother grabbed her son and ran out of the building. The stylist grabbed some scissors and a comb and ran after the mother. They sat in the parking lot on the ground and finished the boys haircut. The nasty woman was told to leave and never come back.
Can't believe people would say things like that. Lucky they're in the minority & the salon made sure there were consequences for her
Load More Replies... My son with autism when young, I had to cut his hair. I discovered that pulling him towards the side of the bed. I could cut his hair while he slept and the cuttings fell to paper on the floor. He slept soundly, never noticing, never squirming, and never having to go through angst. He is high functioning Aspergers now, drives, 2 jobs, University. He takes himself for hair cuts now.
Aww, he's a cutie. I admire the barber's willingness to accommodate :D and you got through to this boy! He gave you a hug! That is an AMAZING thing, treasure that hug forever :D
Where is this barber? My nephew is autistic &, like Mason, hates having his haircut, so this wonderful barber would be great for him!
He lives in Briton Ferry, United Kingdom as you can find on his Facebook page
Load More Replies... My nephew isn't autistic but when he was smaller haircuts were terrifying to him too. Most of the people working on his hair were callous and had no idea how to deal with kids. We need more like this guy!
I commend the barber. I have cut hair for 30 years. I have done many things to sooth kids with fears. But, I never thought of what he did.
My youngest has autism and it took a long time before he was ready to go to a proper hair stylist--I find that the best thing to do is let the hairdresser know he is anxious and to really stress that precision isn't as much of a priority as speed is--he gets really antsy if someone takes a long time and continues to snip tiny snips when he's had enough. My oldest does not have autism but was terrified of having his hair cut when he was 3 or 4 and would wriggle and cry to the point that it became almost impossible to find a stylist who could handle it. Anyways, older son was obsessed with Superman and Spiderman at the time, so I (having spoken about it the day before to the barber) told him that this guy cut both Spiderman and Superman's hair--that guy was a sport. My son was slightly dubious but after asking a few test questions, he was convinced his hair was being cut by the same guy who cut the hair of his heroes. Worked like a charm! Phew!
People are awesome. James & Mason are awesome. We need more people like James! God bless Mason!
This is so wonderful! <3 It's always inspirint when people have sensitivity.
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