For most, a trip to the hair salon is a chance to sit back and relax, but for those with autism it can be a stressful experience.
James Williams, known as Jim The Trim, realised that many of his autistic clients got uncomfortable when they got into the barber’s chair.
In this heartwarming video, James, from Briton Ferry, Wales, pretended to give a boy’s toy trucks haircuts so that he could convince the boy to let him cut his hair.
With some patience, the barber managed to give the boy a proper haircut without it being too traumatic.
In the video Jim starts by pretending to cut the hair of one of his client’s – referred to in the video as Seb – toy trucks.
He sprays water on it and says ‘one, two’ while cutting the air.
Jim then says it’s ‘Seb’s turn’ but little Seb refuses and then insists it’s the turn of ‘rolly’ another one of his trucks.
Jim obliges and ‘cuts the hair’ of toy rolly as Seb looks on switching between laughing and running insisting he doesn’t want his hair cut.
Every Sunday, Jim closes his shop to general customers and offers appointments exclusively to autistic children, giving him the time he needs to make the clients feel at ease.
Every child gets an hour and free reign of the salon, so they don’t feel restricted by a chair.
In the video Jim starts by pretending to cut the hair of one of his client’s – referred to in the video as Seb – toy trucks
Jim obliges and ‘cuts the hair’ of toy rolly as Seb looks on switching between laughing and running insisting he doesn’t want his hair cut
He was inspired to do this in 2015, when a photo of Jim lying on the floor to cut a little boy’s hair went viral.
The little boy called Mason, was distracted by his mother’s iPhone, and lying down – so Jim crouched down behind him and cut the hair.
Mason, then four, had a bad experience with a barber when he was a baby and from then on refused to sit still for hair cuts, leaving his hair uneven and tatty.
Barber James Williams, from Briton Ferry, Wales, known by his moniker Jim The Trim, went viral when he got on the floor to cut a little boy with autism’s hair, pictured
The little boy called Mason, was distracted by his mother’s iPhone, and lying down – so Jim crouched down behind him and cut the hair
He also travels across the country cutting autistic children’s hair, donating the money he earns to local children’s charities.
Speaking to the MailOnline in November Jim explained that autistic children have ‘sensory issues’ and many don’t like the feel of their hair being touched or cut.
He said: ‘A lot of them have sensory issues. When it comes to haircuts it comes down to the noise of a clipper, the sensation of hair touching the skin.
‘It’s as if we have a permanent marker on our hands and we can’t rub it off, that’s the same feeling for them when the hair touches the skin, it sorts of stains them.
‘Every child is different so with every child I work with I’ve got to approach in a different manner. A lot of it comes down to counting, I also distract them with iPads and give them freedom in the shop.’
Speaking to the MailOnline in November Jim explained that autistic children have ‘sensory issues’ and many don’t like the feel of their hair being touched or cut
Jim travels across the country cutting autistic children’s hair, donating the money he earns to local children’s charities
Every Sunday, he closes the shop to the general public and gives autistic patients a one hour free reign of the shop