Dad Finds Creative Way to Give Young Son with Autism a Haircut After Years of Anxiety Around Them (Exclusive)
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10/17/2024 03:50 PM
Liz McFarland captured the moment her husband sat by their son Jad in the bathtub to give him a trim
Liz McFarland
Jad in the bathtub as his dad cuts his hairLiz McFarland and her husband, Jeremy, found a way to care for their son in a way that accommodates his particular needs, and their thoughtful parenting move won hearts across social media.
In September, McFarland recorded Jeremy as he sat on the ledge of a bathtub and patiently trimmed 7-year-old Jad's hair. The mom posted her video on TikTok, where it unexpectedly reached more than 2.6 million viewers and garnered over 124,000 likes.
In overlaying text on the video, McFarland explained that she and her husband worked out how to avoid overwhelming Jad, who has autism and "hates haircuts," she wrote.
@mysonjad #autism#autismawareness#autismaccommodations#autistic
♬ taste - sar 𝜗𝜚
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"The hair landing on him creates sensory overload which leads to meltdowns. My husband got into the bathtub with him this evening and it helped so much. No tears. No anxiety," the caption continued. McFarland added that she and Jeremy also played one of their son's favorite songs, the spooky classic "Monster Mash."
McFarland — who has two other sons, ages 14 and 4 — tells PEOPLE they decided to try the soothing strategy for haircuts after noticing how Jad tended to relax in the bathtub.
"We believe it helped because bathing is relaxing to him. Water has the ability to address tactile sensory sensitivities," she notes. "I decided to record because we were shocked."
The proud parent says she was also "in shock" when her post went viral, and she's proud to have hopefully reached others in similar situations.
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Liz McFarland with her husband Jeremy and their sons, including 7-year-old JadRelated: Mom Pregnant with Rainbow Baby Goes Back and Officially Names All 9 Babies She Lost (Exclusive)
"We have read many comments that are appreciative, informative and most of all relatable," says the TikTok creator. "To have our video seen by [more than 2 million] people means that families all over the world can potentially help their child with what can be a difficult task."
McFarland tells PEOPLE that she started sharing on TikTok at the end of the summer, posting on her autism advocacy account My Son Jad.
"My goal has been to raise awareness and inform others about autism in a positive manner," she says of her social media content. "We live in a rural area with limited resources, so we have researched, educated and figured out what works for our son together."
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