Girl With Autism Thinks Up Invention to Fix Her Heartbreaking Problem

A little girl with autism has come up with a solution to the heartbreaking problem of having a hard time making friends.

Katherine Vasquez, 8, lives in Mission Hills, California. Like a lot of children with autism, she sometimes finds it hard to make friends. That’s why when she had a school assignment called “My Invention,” she decided she would invent a “Friend Robot.”

Katherine wrote out her idea, and her mother, Raquel Vasquez, shared it on the Autism Speaks Facebook page.

The assignment read:

Inventions are important because they help people around the world. One day I will make a friend robot. I am making it because I want a friend. It is made of metal. The friend robot will cost one dollar. I will use the robot. I will help it. I will sell it at home. 

When Vasquez asked Katherine why would she sell her robots for only a dollar, Katherine said that way everyone could have a friend.

Vasquez says Katherine has one friend at school but the 8-year-old wishes she had more. She also says her daughter is bullied on a daily basis. 

“I want parents to teach their children compassion, not to judge kids who are different,” Vasquez told The Mighty via Facebook Message. “I want parents to tell their kids it’s OK to play with kids who are a little strange, that’s how friendships are made. She just wants a chance.”