Gavin Stone, an Illinois teen diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome and ADHD as a child, was allegedly beaten by a group of strangers. His story has gone viral after a family friend shared his mother’s Facebook post.

Children and adults with Asperger’s have difficulty with social interactions and tend to exhibit a variety of interesting and repetitive behaviors. According to a June 30 Facebook post by his mother, Cortnie, Gavin struggles daily with social interactions and tends to keep himself isolated. She also added in her post that at times Gavin unintentionally could appear rude, impatient, "weird," detached or uninterested. Gavin has worked for years learning social dos and don’ts but still faces challenges.

When someone is affected by Asperger’s, it’s difficult to process social and emotional issues or nonliteral phrases. Therefore, nonverbal communication is very challenging. His mom wrote, “You can't 'see' Asperger's since it's not a visible disability, it's a social/emotional one that makes relationships difficult to attain. It doesn't prohibit his movement or ability to walk, but it makes everyday interactions with people very difficult.”

According to the post, Gavin was attacked because a group of kids were talking about how “it’s weird” that he spent time alone and watched people. They also said he was “creepy” because he wanted to befriend people that he didn’t know. Another kid that overheard that conversation decided to take care of Gavin himself by playing judge and jury, and as a result, Gavin was choked, punched, and left laying on the pavement. He suffered a mild concussion, bruised esophagus, a fracture at the tip of his nose and a hematoma in his eye.

 Bullying is very real. It happens more than you would think. I can’t even begin to process how someone could purposefully beat an innocent teenager because he is diagnosed with a disability. Kids should not have to worry about going to school or social events in fear of being made fun of or persecuted. In my opinion, it should be mandatory for schools to incorporate anti-bullying programs and make sure students and faculty are properly educated on various disabilities. Schools should make safety a top priority. No one should have to experience what Gavin had to go through, and schools could help students like Gavin by putting programs in place to keep people informed and safe.

Instead of pressing charges, Gavin requested that the bullies perform community service related to the disabled, write a paper on Asperger’s Syndrome, and watch a video (made by Gavin) regarding the attack with each of their families. It’s amazing how someone can be so forgiving and overcome such a terrible and cruel situation. Gavin handled what happened to him in such a graceful and mature manner. It’s truly inspiring that his first thought was the desire to teach the bullies that assaulted him about Asperger’s Syndrome. A lot of other people, if put in a similar situation, wouldn’t have given mercy at all. Gavin is truly a light in a dark world, and everyone should learn to be more forgiving and spread love like he did.