Bullied And Shunned Autistic 9 Year Old Keaton Asks Santa For A Friend For Christmas
#KardsforKeaton #AutismAwareness #Autism #Christmas #HappyHolidays
As my family and most of my friends know my 9 yr old son Keaton is low functioning Autistic. He has been in multiple therapies since the age of 3. While he has made leaps and bounds in some areas, he still lacks is some as well. Making friends and school are where he lacks most.
On December 27, 2015 he is turning 10. This day should be a source of joy for our family and especially for Keaton. It is not. It's a sad time for all of us. Keaton is not liked at school. Not just 1 school, any school. He is very different from the other students. He has no idea how a friendship really works. He is "in your face", he interrupts, he is exceptionally high energy, he rocks almost constantly, and he is OBSESSED with cars and their engines. He counts on his stuffed animals for comfort. This makes him a target. School is a nightmare for him. I took him out of public school as in our district 4th grade is now in the middle school. He is not socially ready for the middle school setting as 2nd and 3rd grade were very difficult for him socially. He was bullied, made fun of, or taken advantage of regularly. I started him this year in an online charter school, but that turned out to be a "put your head down and work" environment which also was not good for him.
I decided to put him in a local charter school with the hopes of new school, new friends. Not the case at all. He has been there less than 2 months and he has been called every name in the book. "Stupid", "Freak", "Retard", "Penis", etc. He has been beaten up, choked and punched in the face, and taken advantage of by other kids with the promise of the other children promising to "be his friend". Then, when he approached the child he was told to "get away" from them. All he wants is a friend.
My heart is broken. He got to see Santa this year (yes, he still believes) and when he was asked what he wanted for Christmas he replied "My birthday is 2 days after Christmas, so for Christmas and my birthday, I want a friend". He also asked us for the same thing. I HAVE to make this happen for him. I can't do this by myself. My son NEEDS to know that people DO like him. He needs to know that he is a good kid who is likable, despite being different. He needs to know that different isn't bad. I went out today and for his birthday
I rented a post office box. I want to ask everyone who sees this post to take a moment and write a few kind words to Keaton letting him know that he IS cared for and he DOES have friends out there. And My sincere hope is that the box I rented will be FLOODED with kind words for a VERY deserving boy for his birthday. I am not asking for gifts, money or anything else. Just kind words. Please share so he stands a chance at this happening. This is the season of miracles, and I am hoping for one this year. PLEASE share this and ask your friends and family to do the same. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. Here is our mailing information.
Keaton Mater
PO Box 305
Roscommon, MI 48653
Become a Community Contributor.
