Mom gets emotional thanking the man on the beach who made her autistic son feel included and happy

Inclusivity is a concept that is rapidly gaining popularity but has still not been adequately incorporated. As per My Disability Jobs, almost 80% of individuals with autism having a college degree are unemployed. This is primarily because of the rigidity the workplace shows in terms of not adjusting even a little bit in accordance with people having autism. Children also feel the ire of this non-inclusive behavior and oftentimes have to struggle with loneliness or being left out. @jesmartini, in one of her videos, showed how a difference can be made by giving the example of a father who included her son in a castle-building activity even when he was being destructive by conventional standards. 

Martini's son has always had trouble fitting in because of being on the spectrum. He has not encountered many people willing to include him in group activities because of his inability to comprehend social situations. But this Dad on the beach was different and Martini was extremely grateful to him for giving her son a positive experience. Martini opened the video by saying, “This is to the dad at the Delaware beach [who] was building a giant village on the shoreline with his two kids and a few others because I wanted you to know that you are making the world a better place in probably seemingly small, but truly significant ways."

Martini continued that the Dad might not remember her or this instance, but whatever he did meant a lot to both her as well as her son. She further explained how the father was building a sand village with his kids when one of her sons also joined him in the activity. He graciously took him in, but her second son had some trouble understanding everything that was going on. Specifically, he could not make out how to participate in the activity. 

Martini explains her son's confusion, "You had no way of knowing this, but my other son really struggles with activities like that. [Activities] that require structure and focus, and communication with others towards a common goal. But he wanted so badly to be a part of [it], so he joined in the way that he knew how.” According to the report published by CDC, this is common for people with Autism Spectrum Disorder. They have issues with social communication and interaction. 

After not understanding how to contribute, her son figured out that the only way to join in was by becoming a monster. Martini recounted the whole thing, “I saw the other kids [were] not really sure what to make of him thrashing around, and then I heard him say, ‘The lava monster is gonna smash the village.’” Having been through this before Martini wanted to take her son out of the situation before it got awkward, but at that moment the father stepped in and instead of trying to change her son's stance, used it to get him involved in the activity with everyone. ‘That's awesome that you're a lava monster. We need a lava monster on our team', the father said as per Martini.

The father explained the activity to Martini's son in such a way that instead of using his Lava Monster persona to destroy everything, he began to use it to protect the castle. Seeing the father adjust for her son brought tears to Martini's eyes. She emotionally finished off by saying, "Just like that, my son was accepted and included and all the other kids realized how to play with him too, and he got to be a part of the game in his own way.”

The comment section was both emotional and ecstatic seeing the difference a kind gesture makes on people's lives. @achsapirro complimented the father and commented, "I wish there were more adults like this. Seeing that all kids just want to be included." @lalala5277 feels such actions make the world a better place, "Just when I’m so fed up with this world I hear something like this and realize it’s not the whole world. Thank you for sharing this."