Connor Crites has autism, meaning a sudden surge of new information in a changing environment – such as one can expect from a first day back at school – can prove difficult to deal with.
In response to his surroundings, Connor backed himself into a corner and began to cry.
It would have been easy for him to have gone unnoticed amongst the hullabaloo, but fortunately there was one other child who spotted him. 8-year-old Christian, was also starting second grade, saw Connor and approached him.
He took his hand without a word and walked with Connor into the school.
Christian’s mother, Courtney Moore, witnessed the scene, and took a photo of the boys holding hands.
Speaking to KAKE-TV, Moore said: “I saw him on the ground with Connor as Connor was crying in the corner and he was consoling him. He grabs his hand and walks him to the front door.
“We waited until the bell rang and he walked him inside of the school. The rest is history. They have an inseparable bond.”
Moore posted her photo to Facebook, where it soon attracted the attention of Connor’s mother, April.
“I fear every day that someone is going to laugh at him because he doesn’t speak correctly, or laugh at him because he doesn’t sit still or because he jumps up and down and flaps his hands,” Crites said to KAKE-TV.
It goes without saying that these boys are setting an example all people should be following!
We want to shed some positive light on Connor and Christian.
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