Texas Mom Shouts Out Chick-Fil-A For Accommodating Autistic Son

A Texas mom has gone viral for sharing the kindness and understanding she and her autistic son were met with at Edinburg Chick-fil-A earlier this week.

Marlee Olivarez took her 8-year-old son Matthew to the fast food restaurant for breakfast. He ordered a breakfast bowl with eggs, cheese, and hash browns, but with the ingredients separated. The restaurant very easily could have told the family no, but instead fulfilled the unusual request without any push back.

“As we were waiting, one of the managers comes up ... and he asked me, ‘you know out of the many years that I’ve been working here, I’ve never seen or heard of anybody ask for this ordered in this particular way, is there a reason why,’” Olivarez told KVEO.

People on the autism spectrum tend to have delicate sensory systems. Everyone is different but a variety of sounds, tastes, textures can cause stress and sensory overload in people with autism, especially children.

“With Matthew, he doesn’t like his food groups to touch each other, so everything has to be separate because of the textures. It’s pretty much a sensory overload for him,” she told the TV station.

When the manager, Sam Guardiola, asked her about the order, Olivarez saw this as a chance to spread awareness about autism spectrum disorder.

The mother said it can be uncomfortable to go out in public because people will stare and judge her and her son for Matthew's differences. So when Guardiola said he understood her request, Olivarez was touched by his and the restaurant's lack of judgement.

Olivarez wrote on Facebook that she has received positive messages and comments since her original post went viral, and that she'll continue to use her voice to advocate for her son while teaching others about autism spectrum disorder.

Photo: Getty Images