Parenting a teenager is not always an easy task. Parenting a teenager with autism can prove to be even more challenging.
If you’re a parent with an adolescent with autism you might agree that it requires quite a lot of patience and strength. Many youngsters suffering from autism struggle to control their emotions at times, which can lead them to throw fits — sometimes escalating to more aggressive tantrums.
This can be both very emotionally and physically draining for the parent, at times unbearable. And some parents might even be forced to contact the police.
One such parent is Sheryl Lynn Hillard, whose teenage son John suffers from autism. In one week, she had had six police officers over at the house to calm John down. The officers’ reaction? Just too moving not to share.
John’s last “meltdown turned to rage” as the mother referred to it, came from the fact that he wanted a blue shirt just like the one Joe on Blues Clues wears.
Sheryl was so taken by the police officers and the way they handled the situation that she later had to share her story on her Facebook page. The post has now been shared over 130,000 times.
Here’s what the mother wrote:
“In the last week I’ve had 6 police officers in my home because my sons meltdowns turned to rage. With so much negativity shown towards law enforcement lately, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to show my appreciation for the empathy these officers had for my son.
They showed up not knowing much about autism but they listened and learned while they kept us all safe.
They also asked ALOT of questions so they wouldn’t do the wrong thing. The meltdown today was because John wants to dress like Joe on Blues Clues but I can’t find that same shirt anywhere.
After calming him down, the officers went and bought a blue shirt and with Jenn’s fabric markers they attempted to create the shirt John wants. That’s what this pic is, 3 officers going above and beyond to help a severely autistic teenage boy! Sadly, it didn’t work, but the fact that they were willing to do this for my son made them hero’s in my eyes.”
How sweet is that? These cops went the extra mile just for this kid and didn’t once resort to violence.
John eventually got the T-shirt he wanted after his story made its way to the good people at Cutting Edge Designs, a custom clothes company.
This whole story just melts our hearts from beginning to end — it really shows the compassion man is capable of.
Please consider sharing to honor all parents with children suffering from autism, and all the great police officers out there!
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