Hairdresser's brilliant plan to cut autistic boy's hair goes viral

Sometimes, small acts of kindness, patience and understanding can make all the difference in another person's life...

Four-year-old British boy Mason Lewis, who has autism, hasn’t had a proper haircut for years. This is because he has been terrified of barber’s chairs ever since he had a nasty experience in one when he was just 18 months old.

His mum was getting tired of his scruffy, patchy hairdo. And then she heard of 26-year-old barber James William, who was supposedly just awesome with kids… and approached him.

The pictures below sum up the moment James managed to cut the little boy’s hair — and they’re going viral for all the right reasons.

The moment the little boy’s hair was finally cut.

The young barber slowly built a relationship with Mason, whose mum took him to visit James at his barber shop many times, according to reports.

Then, on Tuesday 3 November, as Mason was playing with his mum’s phone while lying down on tthe floor, James took the opportunity to give the little boy his first proper haircut in two and a half years.

Mason’s mum Denine Davies said, “I can’t believe what James did – most barbers would be eager to get on to their next customer as they would be losing money but he didn’t mind at all and dedicate all his attention on helping Mason.

“It’s the oddest place I’ve ever cut someone’s hair…”

Meanwhile, James said:

“I know how difficult it can be and my main concern was making sure Mason was happy and not upset. So when I saw he was comfortable on the floor, I thought nothing of getting down on my belly and having a go.

“It’s the oddest place I’ve ever cut someone’s hair, but if that is what works, that is fine with me. Once I started doing it I looked up at Denine and Jamie and they were both speechless. They clearly couldn’t believe it and were so happy.

“They have clearly gone through so much with him so to see him let me do it with no fuss clearly meant a lot.

“I felt chuffed to have been able to help but didn’t think much more about it. But before I knew it, the pictures had gone viral and I had lots of other parents coming up and say ‘did I realise how much what I had done meant.'”

Mason (left) and James (right)

Parents from across the UK, as well as Australia and the US have contacted James, praising him for what he did.

In a world when most people have little patience for others, sometimes more so if they have a condition like autism, it’s so refreshing to hear about those like James.

We know you’ll agree that sometimes, a little gesture of kindness, patience and understanding can go a long way in making another person’s day.

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