Parents of children with Autism understand that their children experience some life events differently. For some parents, there is heartache in knowing that their child may not get to encounter activities, like visit Santa at the mall, the same way others do. That was the case for mom, Erin Deely. But an angel organization came to Erin’s rescue.

According to the Autism Speaks website, The Caring Santa program is an opportunity to connect with multitudes of families that have children with autism and other special needs, providing a more controlled and welcoming environment to visit Noerr’s Santa Photo Experience!

When Erin’s son Brayden turned three, doctors diagnosed him with autism. She knew that getting pictures with Santa would become tougher and tougher each season. In an Interview with People magazine, Erin said, “I thought we would never get those holiday pictures with him because it’s something he can’t handle- the noise, and the pressure. He gets anxious if you ask him to smile, it’s all too much for him.”

After hearing about the Caring Santa program, she was delighted to know that the organization brings in special Santas at a quiet time to offer families a more conducive environment. When she took her son to meet Santa, she never expected to see what happened. She said, “Brayden was shy and inched his way over slowly and then Santa just slowly gets out of his seat and gets on the ground and starts playing with the toys that my son brought.”

The result? Adorable pictures of the duo playing on the floor beside Santa’s throne.

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