Dad Takes A Photo Of His Autistic Son Before Prom. What He Says About His Date Is Going Viral!

 A high school senior in Wisconsin created an unforgettable memory for an autistic teenager and his entire family.

When Jon Larson was diagnosed with autism, his parents prepared for the worst. They knew that this would limit their son’s ability to perform certain tasks and participate in certain events. They knew it would be unlikely for Jon to play varsity sports, get married, or even go to his high school prom.

That’s when Maddi Colbeth, a high school senior, changed everything.

She approached Clear Lake High School’s band director one day, who happened to be Jon’s father, and asked him a startling question. In an interview with the Journal Sentinel, Mike Larson recalls, “It was a pretty breathtaking moment for me.”

Maddie had gotten to know Jon quite well at school through various school functions and extracurricular activities. Maddie didn’t mind the fact that Jon was autistic; she genuinely enjoyed his company, saying “He’s a calm guy and he’s nice. He’s funny.”

Knowing that the prom was approaching, Maddie wanted to ask Jon to be her prom date. But before doing so, she wanted to make sure his parents were okay with it.

Mike was initially shocked that a student would ask him such a question, but he replied, “We would be honored to have you take Jon.”

After the prom was over, Mike posted a photo of the two on Facebook along with a touching message about why this was such a momentous occasion for him. The message has since gone viral on the platform with hundreds of thousands of shares and comments.

Read Mike’s message below…

 “This is my son Jon with his prom date Maddie. He is a junior and he has autism. About a month ago, Maddie, a senior, came to my office (I’m a teacher at their school) and asked if Jon’s mom and I would allow her to take him to prom. Maddie had gotten to know Jon through a school club that promotes friendships between special needs kids and regular kids. ‘He’s a junior,’ she explained ‘so it’s his prom too. I just think he should have the chance to go.’ I told her we would be honored to have him go with her.”

“During the next couple weeks, she asked what his favorite color was (orange) so she could get a dress in that color. She also made reservations for their group (they doubled with another couple) at a restaurant that served his favorite food – chicken fingers and French fries.”

“I encourage everyone to like and share this for three reasons:
1. To show support for special kids like Jon
2. To show support for groups that promote these friendships
3. To remind us all, in a time when we hear about all the terrible things going on, that there are wonderful kids like Maddie working to make other’s lives better.”

---