This Santa understands kids with autism... because he has it, too. [ARTICLE]

As a parent, seeing what hes doing not only for my daughter but for all the kids who are there, its special, said Calligy, getting choked up. "Seeing a person with autism and the heights he is reaching, and he still is making time to come and do this — well, we look forward to it every year.

Kerry Magro will always remember the first time he met Santa — and its not a happy memory.

Things were fine, and then the flash on the camera threw 6-year-old Kerry, who has autism, into sensory overload.

He jumped up, clapped his hands over his ears and started twirling furiously in circles.

His parents decided that a crowded mall was not the best environment for Kerry, and that was the end of his Santa visits.

It was sad for me, Magro, now 30, recalls. I thought, why are those other kids able to do this, and not me? I didnt have any friends, and I was really trying to find that connection. He felt like hed let himself down, and worse, that hed let Santa down.

Fast forward a couple decades to December, 2018. Another child with autism walks up to Santa. She jumps around, strokes Santas gloves, and touches Santas mouth when he says Ho, ho, ho.

But this time its OK. Santa understands. Because this time, Magro is Santa.

Read the whole atticle HERE.