00:00Autism can be defined as a neurodevelopmental condition which affects the way a child communicates, how they interact and how
00:09they behave.
00:10Oftentimes, children have an over-undersensitivity to lights, sounds, smells or textures.
00:17Regular tasks like getting a haircut can feel like a traumatic ordeal.
00:22It's why founders of Autism United TT, a recently formed NGO in St. Mary's Village, Moruga, partnered with a community
00:31barbershop to make a safe space for special needs children.
00:35A barbershop that is designated towards children with autism and disabilities, a safe space where they could come and we
00:43can accommodate them and their particular needs.
00:46Because children on the spectrum, no two children are the same on the spectrum and they have different needs, which
00:54would be accommodated here by our very patient Baba Raymond.
00:58Anissa Khan Mohamed and her husband Rashid Mohamed are parents of three boys, the eldest of which is on the
01:05spectrum.
01:06He fuels their drive to make the world more accepting and accommodating to the needs of disabled children.
01:12They describe the challenges of getting a haircut as an if-you-know-you-know type of experience, but one
01:20that was made easy with their community barber.
01:23We've seen the kindness, the dedication and the sensitivity.
01:28When your child starts to throw a tantrum in public, it hurts you.
01:32But Raymond, over the years I've observed how we deal if there are other customers in the barbershop when it's
01:39time for my son to get his haircut.
01:40But he'll ask them to step outside and that goes a long way.
01:44The patient also telling the child what you're going to do and how we are going to manage the sensitivity
01:52by the air, which is critical.
01:54It's why they approached Raymond De Leon for this partnership, one they say he gladly welcomed.
02:01He tells TV6, it's easy to love and be patient with autistic children.
02:07You just have to take the time to understand and get to know them.
02:11You have to be gentle with them because some of them are very, very aggressive.
02:16Very, very aggressive.
02:17But you have to only deal with them.
02:19Most of all the problems come from the air.
02:23Some of them can't cope with some of the machine.
02:27So you have to only deal with that.
02:29He says he never keeps them waiting and clears his shop to afford them some space while they're on his
02:35chair.
02:36Mrs. Mohammed says in 2026, more businesses need to move towards becoming sensory friendly.
02:43Because when these children feel comfortable, they thrive.
02:47If Khalil can go from not sitting in a chair with his own comfortable people to sitting with a stranger,
02:56it will do a lot for him going forward in terms of building his self-esteem and being more functional.
03:04And he'll become a more efficient member of the community in the long run.
03:09So it is the little things that build up and it may not be a Baba shop.
03:13Today for us, it's a Baba shop.
03:15We want to look at other businesses.
03:17Cindy Raguba, Tika Singh, TV6 News.
Comments