Kind mall Santa goes the extra mile for boy with autism

Deely said her son knows who Santa is, but “is a little shy when he likes someone”. “Oh my gosh, to be able to do something that other families do…normally a lot of things are harder for us as a family and we got to do the same tradition as everyone else, we just do it on the floor”, Erin said.

During an Autism Speaks and Noerr Programs Caring Santa event in Charlotte, Autism Speaks Family Services team member Maeghan Pawley snapped a touching photo.

Post few minutes, Santa took a musical snow globe, placed it down on the floor and returned to his huge chair. “They didn’t even talk to each other, really, they just bonded and played, and Brayden started to be really excited and started looking at him and smiling”.

When Brayden approached Santa at the mall, his mother said he seemed unsure and afraid. Neither of them spoke.

A photo showing Santa Claus going above and beyond for a boy with autism is going viral.

Hosted at shopping centers across the country in the weeks leading up to Christmas, the Caring Santa Program lets families schedule an appointment to meet with Santa without having to worry about the long lines and sensory overload that can often accompany a trip to the mall during the holidays.

– A family is calling a local Santa Claus their hero, after he did something to make their child feel more at ease. “Brayden doesn’t like posing for photos and being told to smile for the camera”, his mom, Erin Deely, told ABC News. “This Santa was flawless”.