Texas barber goes the extra mile for his first autistic client

‘Hopefully I can inspire others to lend a hand out and make this a great thing for everybody.’

Pictured is Aiden (left) and Christopher Ortiz (right). (Credit: Christopher Ortiz) (Christopher Ortiz)

KYLE, Texas – A local barber is going the extra mile to help his clients, but one client in particular left him feeling truly inspired.

Christopher Ortiz, 29, of Kyle, Texas, made a house call to cut 9-year-old Aiden’s hair just last week in Austin, Texas.

Recommended Videos



However, this client posed a challenge Ortiz hadn’t yet faced when cutting hair – Aiden is autistic.

A friend of Ortiz’s babysits for Aiden and his brother. But, after Ortiz’s friend mentioned it was a challenge to cut Aiden’s hair and was having trouble at other barbershops, Ortiz made the trip to Aiden’s parent’s house to get the job done.

Ortiz said he always wanted to work with autistic kids and when the opportunity came about, he couldn’t say no.

“I wanted to work with children who have autism and the autism community,” Ortiz said. “I have a cousin – she actually teaches in Austin and she works a lot with children with autism. I’ve been talking to her for a couple months about it… When the opportunity came, I took it.”

Initially, Ortiz said he was a little nervous at first but after a few challenges, he was able to make it work.

“When we started, we tried sitting him down and tried to cut his hair. Communication was kind of limited. He didn’t speak much...,” Ortiz said. “He would hit himself... we would let him walk around, shake it off, let him calm down and we’d try it again.”

A few moments later, Aiden then walked to the kitchen sink, turned on the facet and ran his hands through the water.

Ortiz said he was then able to calm down a little bit and that’s where he decided to set up shop.

Sometimes we have to go above and beyond to make our clients feel comfortable. This Sunday, I was given the privilege of...

Posted by Christopher Ortiz on Sunday, February 9, 2020

“We noticed he was calm, so that’s why I started cutting his hair (at the sink) and it worked,” Ortiz said. “He stayed calm most of the haircut. I’m glad we were able to continue with it.”

Ortiz said he would be open to cutting Aiden’s hair again and other kids like him.

“I’m very thankful that Aiden and his parents gave me the opportunity. It really gave me confidence to push forward with it and work with others,” Ortiz said.

Ortiz is a barber at Gentleman’s Grooming 101 Barbershop in Kyle, Texas.

From one dad to another, SA artist creates mural honoring Kobe Bryant and his daughter

After this experience, he hopes other barbers alike can take the extra leap for clients and follow in his footsteps.

“I can’t wait to work with other children on the spectrum," Ortiz said. "I’m looking forward to seeing what doors open and hopefully I can inspire others to lend a hand out and make this a great thing for everybody.”


About the Author:

Cody King is a digital journalist for KSAT 12. She previously worked for WICS/WRSP 20 in Springfield, Illinois.