This Waiter Went Out of Her Way To Help This Girl With Autism

Anna McLean, along with her husband and seven year-old sister, went out for a meal at a local Chili’s restaurant in Midvale, Utah. When their food arrived Anna saw that her sister was refusing to eat the food.

Arianna was a huge cheeseburger fan, but she could not eat the food because, according to her, the burger was ‘broken’. The waiter had cut the burger in half. While people would assume that this was an extremely fussy child who is very picky about her food, Anna McLean knew the reason. Little Arianna has autism, and she was very choosy about what she would eat. Her requirements were very different from other children, any one tiny detail slightly out of the way could upset her whole day.

The Restaurant Comes to the Rescue

Anna knew that her sister who was worried, she called the waitress over and ordered a new burger. In the process she explained to the waitress that there was nothing wrong with the previous burger, but her sister Arianna would prefer to have a burger that was not cut. They would not mind paying for the extra burger as well. She also explained the situation to the waitress, explaining that in her mind, a cut burger was a broken burger, and her sister would not be able to eat it.

Instead of being annoyed at such a request, the waitress bent down to little Arianna and apologized for the ‘broken’ cheeseburger, and promised her to provide one that was not ‘broken’ as soon as they could. Even the restaurant manager joined in, offering Arianna with a plate of French fries to nibble on while she waited for the burger to come. Anna was overjoyed at such a reaction from the restaurant chain and expressed her sister’s excitement and appreciation on the company’s Facebook page.

Once Arianna received her new cheeseburger, she was engrossed deep in thought about it, and started to softly kiss the burger, saying “I missed you so much!” Anna took a photo and showed it to the waitress, Lauren. Lauren was genuinely surprised by the reaction of the little child and asked if she could show the photo to her manager. She came back after a few minutes stating that not only had she shown the picture to the restaurant manager, but she also showed it to the staff in the kitchen. The staff were overwhelmed by the sight of the photo, and had appreciated the way little Arianna liked her new cheeseburger.

Final Thoughts

On the Facebook page of Chili’s, Anna wrote that she was touched by the sweet gesture of the restaurant, she had expected that their group would be thrown out of the place, based on the way restaurants sometimes treat fellow diners with children suffering from autism. She was touched by the compassion shown by both Lauren and the restaurant manager, Bradley, by the way they handled the situation.

Here Are The Most Crucial Signs You Might Be Overlooking To See Whether Your Child Has Autism

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), one in 68 kids have autism in the United States. The disease is more prevalent amongst boys than girls, with 1 in 42 boys being afflicted, compared to 1 in 189 girls afflicted with autism. The disease is prevalent amongst all races, ethnicities and socio-economic classes within the country, according to the CDC. While most children are diagnosed with autism by the age of four, over 80% of these kids show signs of autism by the time they are 2.

But sometimes autism can also go unnoticed. About 10% of the children with autism are proficient at memorization, drawing and analytical thought.

What are the Signs of Autism?

Children who might have autism show certain signs that are discernable from other children. Here are some of the signs that can help you detect if your child is afflicted with autism.

Not Smiling at People – The Autism Science Foundation has found out that one of the most important signs of autism is the fact that children do not smile at people. This happens across several age groups, from as little as 2 months old.

Not Making Eye Contact – Children with autism prefer not to make eye contact. This is prevalent amongst older children, with minimal response to any form of sound or interaction.

Having Poor Social Skills – Children with autism cannot communicate as well as other children, with avoidance of eye contact and not smiling at other people.

Cannot Follow Directions – If the children are unable to follow the standardized “three step directions”, it is a clear sign that the child might have autism.

Cannot Pronounce Vowels Properly – Children with autism, according to the Autism Science Foundation are not very proficient at pronouncing vowel sounds, especially those who are six months old.

Do Not Laugh – Children afflicted with autism are much less likely to laugh, when they are toddlers. This is a clear sign that the child might have autism when they grow up

Having Trouble Crawling or Walking – Children by the age of 1 year who cannot crawl might have autism. The same is also true for kids as old as four months when they do not push with their legs when placed on a hard surface.

Not Babbling or Pointing – According to Autism Speaks, an autism awareness program, children who do not babble or point at things show one of the clearest indications of autism in later life. This also depends upon the age of the child. If the child is unable to string up two meaningful phrases by the time they are 24 months or 2 years old, it could be a clear sign of autism.

Having Inconsistent Emotions – Children who have sudden temper flares, or are upset by the tiniest details show signs of autism. In addition, if they do not show fear, or are extremely worried, it also might be a clear sign of autism.

Delayed Speech – If your child is speaking with an unnatural tone, especially talking in a flat and monotonous voice, it could be that the child might have autism later on in life when they grow up.

Flapping Hands and Rocking Bodies – If your child constantly flaps their hand, or rocks their bodies back and forth, they might have autism.

Having Trouble Sleeping – If your child has autism, he or she would have trouble sleeping. In addition, he or she would also have extremely poor eating habits.

Not Seeking Parental Attention – Most children know that they are dependent on their parents for survival. If your little child is not showing eagerness when you try to pick them up, or seek attention frequently, then it might be a sign for autism.