We Love How This Barber Used His Viral Photo to Help More Kids With Autism

You might remember our story about hairdresser James Williams, who was photographed getting on the floor to help a boy with autism feel comfortable during a haircut in November. Williams, based in Wales, wrote on his Facebook page that he was merely trying to figure out how to cut his young client’s hair without upsetting him. The story went viral, and since then Williams has been approached by a number of parents of kids on the spectrum looking for help with haircuts.

Williams told The Mighty he opens his shop every Sunday for children with autism, but he wanted to do more, so he teamed up with several other barbers in the U.K. to launch the Autism Barbers Assemble group. Their mission is simple. “We go by the ‘ABA TEAM’ as superhero barbers to help children on the autism spectrum get past the fear of a haircut,” Williams told The Mighty.

So how does Williams get the job done? He says it’s a simply a combination of being patient and getting to know his customers. Last week he posted a video with Seb, a boy with autism. “It’s his first visit to my barbershop and this is where I will hope to get a breakthrough and show how I work with children on the spectrum,” Williams wrote on his Jim The Trim Facebook page.

Autism Barbers Assemble will host their first event in Paisley, Scotland, and they are eventually hoping to bring their team to the United States.