How teen with Asperger’s taught his attackers a powerful lesson

[Jazzy]

A teenager with Asperger’s, who was attacked for being different, has taught the bullies a powerful lesson about seeing life through someone else’s eyes.

Gavin Joseph, from New Baden, Illinois, was beaten up by a gang of strangers after they heard some people talking about how he was ‘weird’ and always by himself.

Gavin was tricked into meeting the group, who then surrounded him. He was ‘choked, punched, and left laying on the pavement so he would “learn his lesson”‘, explained mum Cortnie Stone on Facebook, in a post from family friend Susan Moffat that’s now been shared almost 130,000 times.

‘On Thursday night, some kids were talking about how “it’s weird” that he is always by himself, attending events alone and watching people, and it was “creepy” how he wanted to be friends with people he didn’t know,’ Cortnie writes of her son’s ordeal.

‘On Friday night, another kid that overheard that conversation decided to take matters into his own hands and become judge and jury, and this is the result of that,’ she says.

Gavin was left with mild concussion, a bruised esophagus, a fracture to the tip of his nose, and hematoma in his eye.

However, when his attackers were identified, rather than press charges, he choose to teach the bullies a lesson of his own, a lesson about what it’s like to walk in another person’s shoes.

Cortnie explains: ‘He did not press charges, but requested their community service be disability related, that they write a paper on Asperger’s, and that they watch a 20 min video statement he taped while their families were present so they could see the damage they did and hear the event from his perspective.’

She adds: ‘I am so proud of him, and I hope a lesson will come of this to all that hear about it.’

ADHD at the age of three. ‘Gavin has spent years learning what society thinks is appropriate and not appropriate, and so he doesn’t offend anyone or stick out in social situations,’ she explains. She noted that the condition isn’t a visible disability, and added that it sometimes makes him appear “rude, impatient, ‘weird,’ detached, or uninterested,” all of which is unintentional.

She continues: ‘Being a teenager with Asperger’s is tough because all of a sudden people around you are consistently “breaking” all the social do’s and don’ts you’ve spent years learning.’

So, she asks, ‘If you are reading this, I hope you talk to your teens, tell them about disabilities you can’t see, teach them to be tolerant of people that are different, teach them that if they continuously see someone alone that maybe it is not their choice to be alone, remind them to ask questions first and get to know one another.’

Gavin’s story, and his decision to teach, rather than punish, the bullies has been praised online.

Source

This breaks my heart! Good for you though Gavin for wanting to have their punishment be related to understanding…that’s maturity well beyond your years.

Your thoughts?

 

[DrLeftover]

The punks will not 'learn a lesson' from this, will only resent that they had to do that crap (or won't do it), and, most likely, retaliate against him for it.