'I Simply Follow The Lead Of The Child' Barber Goes Above And Beyond To Cut Hair Of Autistic Child

November 17, 2017

All mothers worry about how their child will be treated by others. Parents of kids with special needs struggle with this concern every second of every day. Raising a child with autism can be very challenging and sometimes, it usually means going beyond the level of 'normal' to interact with your child. You have to continue to learn, not just about the condition but also about what your child as an individual reacts best too. With all the hard work you put in, of course, you'll worry that others in your child's life will not be that invested.

This barber in Canada has, however, proven this particular mum wrong on that account when he gladly went above and beyond just to make an autistic boy feel comfortable with getting a haircut.

Franz Jakob runs a barbershop in Northern Canada. He recently shared the story of how, one day, a boy named Wyatt was brought to the shop. He revealed that this was his first time cutting the hair of a child with special needs. It soon became apparent that Wyatt was not going to calmly sit on the chair to cut his hair, but Franz did not give up.

The barber eventually figured that getting down to the boy's level was probably the only way to get him to cooperate. His idea worked and little Wyatt was able to enjoy a more comfortable haircut than he would have if he was on the chair.

This moment was one that changed the course of everything in Franz's barbing business. In fact, since then, he has come up with pretty genius ways to make special needs kids feel really comfortable.

We usually start by having a candy together and we walk around the shop looking at everything on the walls... We can also put some music on vinyl during the haircut. I'm never typically driving the haircut, I simply follow the lead of the child.

He added that although this meant he had to spend over an hour to cut the hair of one child, "it is worth every minute."