Hairstylist Refused Haircut for 5-Yr-Previous with Autism. Now His Mother Is Pushing for Change
The mother of a five-year-old boy with autism spectrum urges hairdressers to need sensitivity training after she says the Great Clips hair salon turned her son away because of his illness.
Gloria Gonzales, of Brownstown Township, Michigan, says her son collapsed at the hair salon before starting his haircut.
“He’s got a very high scream and if he doesn’t want to do something I have to take him from level 10 to level 5 and then from 5 to 3,” says Gloria.
But instead of giving Gloria some room to calm her son down, the hairdresser came up to her and told her to go.
“She didn’t let him sit. She didn’t give him a chance to calm down. She just told me quite frankly that she wouldn’t cut his hair, ”Gloria remembers.
The Great Clips site franchise manager has denied the refusal had anything to do with the boy’s autism, saying instead that it was only his behavior that was an issue. What the manager may not have realized, however, is that an autism crisis is not the same as “bad behavior” or a tantrum.
Gloria’s 5 year old son has had his hair cut twice at the same Great Clips location. She says they have always been able to work with him and his sensory sensitivity.
“In the past, often with my other children, because I have three boys, I sat in the chair and they even sat on my lap. But that was a blatant, ‘I’m not going to cut his hair.’ No ifs, ands, or buts. That was a resounding ‘no’ ”, says Gloria.
Now Gloria is pressing for Great Clips to mandate awareness training for all of its employees in locations across the country.
“My son is autistic, but he is human and people need to realize that he is human. there [are] autistic people everywhere and we have to have this patience and grace and training. All I want from Great Clips is training. “
The franchise owner, Arun Gupta, released this statement:
“I am proud to be able to welcome all customers to my salons. The event recently held at my Brownstown salon was an unfortunate case of misunderstanding. We have reached out to the family and would appreciate the opportunity to have them back in our salon in the future. “
It is not yet known whether Great Clips will consider making changes in response to Gloria’s request.
