WYOMING, Pa. — While this may look like playtime, Parenting Autism United is transforming its playroom into a hair salon.
A place Angelo's mother says her son thinks of as a nightmare.
“He just screams till his nose bleeds basically,” Kristine Pulver, from Dunmore, said.
Trying to cut his hair at home is like a scene out of a horror movie.
“It's very difficult, he'll run around screaming, and I'll have to chase him around with the clippers,” she adds.
A struggle hair stylist Jasmine faces with her own children.
“I have three autistic children of my own, so it helps for me to learn different ways to help them and help the children come into the salon,” explained Jasmine Fryar from Dare 2 Be Different Salon.
Jasmine is spending her day off giving free haircuts to children like Angelo, who can easily become over-stimulated in a typical salon setting.
“Sounds are a lot of things that bother my children, they can't deal with a lot of the loud sounds,” Fryar added.
From a blow dryer to a razor.
All things can be sensory overload to a child with autism.
Which is why the stylists and other specialists with the Mission Autism Clinics are going out of their way to give every child a personalized spa experience.
“I was squeezing his knees, and he seemed like he was relaxing a little bit, so that's what I was doing was putting a little pressure on his knees so he could relax a little bit with that,” explained Misty Whalen, Mission Autism Clinics Registered Autism Technician.
In a matter of minutes, children like Angelo have not only gotten rid of their split ends.
But cut out their fear of the hair salon.
“He's done so good, and they're really good with him,” Pulver said.
Letting both Angelo and his parents walk out with a good hair day.
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