Barber moves boy with autism outside after he gets overwhelmed inside shop

When a boy became overwhelmed during his haircut, Ohio barber Marco Conti didn’t hesitate to accommodate him.

At two years old, Brycen Juby was diagnosed with autism and apraxia of speech. He was nonverbal until age five, mother Ashley Juby told Yahoo Lifestyle.

For Brycen, 7, getting his hair cut hasn’t been easy. Juby said it has been a “screaming meltdown every time.”

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But it seemed like Brycen was getting more and more used to the task, so they made the trip to Marky Fresh Barbershop in Mentor, Ohio, to give it a shot.

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Ashley said she reached out to the shop and asked if Brycen could get his hair cut after hours, when the shop was closed.

Conti didn’t hesitate to schedule them in.

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“Marco was happy to help any way he could,” Juby explained. “To find someone so accommodating was such a relief.”

Conti told the publication that when the boy arrived with his dad, he became overwhelmed almost immediately. So he offered to cut his hair outside.

“Brycen, with tears down his cheeks, agreed,” Conti said.

For the boy, the haircut was huge.

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“This is a new start for Brycen, being at the public school,” Juby said. “He has worked so hard to be in a bigger school and was so ready.

“There are kind, patient, understanding people out there,” she continued. “Marco was ready for however the situation would turn out.”

The moment — with Conti trimming Brycen’s hair and dad Joe cradling his face — was caught on camera and shared to the shop’s Facebook page.

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“We try to make it an equal playing field for everybody and we try to adapt to that person and try to make it a personal experience for them,” Conti told Fox 8.

“It’s really part of the experience,” he said. “We want everyone that comes in here to feel good and leave even better.”

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meaghan.wray@globalnews.ca