Teen goes viral for interactions with Disneyland characters
The 16-year-old regularly visits with Disney princesses and villains.
A California teen's visits with Disneyland characters has gone viral, with over 500,000 following his adventures on Instagram.
Thomas' father Jason, who chose not to share their last name for privacy reasons, runs the "Magic With Thomas" Instagram account and told "Good Morning America" he aims to share his son's interactions with Disney princesses, villains and characters to raise awareness of autism, a developmental condition that affects about 1 in 36 children and over 5.4 million American adults, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
According to Jason, Thomas has been visiting Disneyland in California since he was 2 years old, and his regular encounters with Disney characters has helped him build social skills.
Whether Thomas is castle-gazing with Princess Belle, sharing Easter egg hunt plans with Captain America, or asking Princess Aurora about her dress, Thomas' interactions have not only helped him but also helped others, too.
"The cast members have played a big part as well in helping us spread awareness, to show acceptance, to show inclusion, to show how you interact with someone with [autism]," Jason said.
Jason also said he has noticed a big shift as awareness about autism has risen over the last decade.
"Ten years ago, it wasn't as simple. There wasn't a lot of awareness about autism. There was a lot of stigma about it," he said.
But now, Jason said, "You see your child being accepted and loved, and it's all you want, especially as a parent -- that's all you want for your child. And so I see it, and it's a beautiful thing that he lives in a world like that."
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