Autistic boy with ‘no friends’ whose father posted letter on Facebook flooded with fan support
The New Jersey student was asked to write who his friends were. ‘No one’, he replied
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.After an 11-year-old pupil with autism admitted he had no friends, his father decided to take the matter into his own hands.
Alongside his favourite food - pizza - and his favourite sport - soccer - Christopher Cornelius was asked to write down the names of his friends as part of a school project.
“No one," he wrote.
His father, Bob Cornelius from New Jersey, posted a picture of the school project on social media and wrote a 45-paragraph letter about his son.
"Never have five letters cut so deep, and they weren't even directed at me....it was just an overly simplistic statement that spoke volumes," he wrote on Facebook.
He said his child was excluded by other children, which made him feel lonely and sad.
His son wanted to have sleepovers, like his brothers, but had no one to invite.
Mr Cornelius asked people to share his post, and to talk to their children to educate them on autism and empathy.
The same day he posted the letter, Mr Cornelius posted a picture of his son with a positive update.
“This is my son, Christopher… he’s about to make a lot of friends," he wrote.
Within hours, the post had been shared more than 50,000 times and picked up by multiple news channels.
He said his son has since received thousands of letters, cards, drawings and offers of friendship.
Mr Cornelius said he had also received many messages addressed to him personally, asking how they could help his family or expressing their own struggles with autism.
One of their local police officers reportedly even came to their house on Sunday, on his day off, to offer to play football with Christopher.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments