(WHDH) — The first day of school can be overwhelming for most children, so an 8-year-old boy from Wichita, Kansas, stepped in to help when he noticed a fellow classmate with autism in need of some emotional support.
“I’m so proud of my son, he seen a kid balled up into a corner crying, so he went to console him, grabbed his hand and walked him inside of the school,” Courtney Coko Moore said in a Facebook post.
Moore’s son, Christian, was attending his first day of the second grade at Minneha Core Knowledge Elementary when he noticed his classmate, Connor, was overwhelmed with everything going on around him.
Christian wasn’t aware that Connor was autistic.
Connor’s mother, April Crites, told KAKE-TV that she is grateful Christian didn’t see her son as different.
“It doesn’t matter the color, it doesn’t matter gender, it doesn’t matter the disability, and it doesn’t matter anything. Just be kind, open your heart,” she said. “It’s what we need in this world.”
Moore’s Facebook post has since gone viral, capturing hearts around the world.
“It is an honor to raise such a loving, compassionate child! He’s a kid with a big heart,” she wrote. “The first day of school started off right.”
The photo has been shared more than 22,000 times.
(Copyright (c) 2026 Sunbeam Television. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)