Autistic boy has a meltdown and throws himself on the ground: a stranger decides to lie down with him and manages to calm him down
"In a world where you can choose to be anything, choose to be kind" - if we all lived by this mantra, perhaps, the world would be a better place. Today, however, kindness makes the news and we are surprised, or even suspicious, if a stranger offers us his help. Fortunately, there are good people in the world who instead of judging, stop to listen and help those who are most in difficulty. Natalie Fernando is the mother of a 5-year-old autistic child, Rudy, and she often has to deal with crying fits and meltdowns from her son, which are not always manageable. One morning, she was walking with Rudy on the promenade, one of the little boy's favorite routes, but due to some problems that he still can't deal with, Rudy started crying and screaming, attracting the attention of the passersby. Only one person bothered to stop and ask if everything was ok. That man's intervention literally saved Natalie and her son's day.
via Facebook / Better to be Different
Facebook / Better to be Different
If we think that it takes so little to change a person's day for the better, one wonders why we don't act in this way more often. Natalie was taking her son Rudy for a walk along the promenade, one of the child's favorite spots. Rudy has special needs due to his autism and is not always able to manage some situations that, from the outside, appear normal; for example, the little one has a serious problem with turning back after taking a certain path. For this reason, Natalie always tries to choose elliptical routes, which don't involve the physical action of having to turn around and go back. On the promenade, however, there are no alternatives: the only way to return home is to turn around and retrace the road in the opposite direction. Rudy could not bear this: the little boy lay down on the ground and started screaming, causing some passers-by to look on in judgement without knowing the difficulties Rudy has.
Facebook / Better to be Different
The hero of the day is called Ian and when he saw the child in despair on the ground, he simply asked, "Is everything okay?". Ian approached Rudy and asked him his name and how old he was. Natalie warned him, telling him that her son has autism and therefore doesn't understand some questions well, so the man simply decided to lie down on the ground with him. They stayed like that for a while, until Rudy calmed down completely. The two also took a photo together, in which Rudy appears smiling and his crisis seems like a thing of the past. Natalie, who manages a Facebook page in which she tells the thousand adventures and vicissitudes faced with Rudy, shared this episode with extreme gratitude. It was a difficult day, both for her and for Rudy, but a stranger decided to help her without any ulterior motives. Ian then accompanied Natalie and Rudy to their car, and resumed his run.
An episode of kindness that keeps hopes alive in mankind.
