HIGHLAND, Ill. — An Illinois teenager with Asperger's syndrome taught his cowardly bullies a lesson for the ages after dropping charges and opting for a more productive way of getting back at his tormentors.
Gavin's mother Cortnie Stone wrote a detailedFacebook post about her son's condition — a developmental disorder that affects the ability to effectively socialize and communicate — and his run-in with a gang of teens who beat him up because he's "weird."
Gavin has spent years learning what society thinks is appropriate and not appropriate, and so he doesn't offend anyone or stick out in social situations. Being a teenager with Asperger's is tough because all the sudden people around you are consistently "breaking" all the social do's and don'ts you've spent years learning.
Stone then delves into the night her son was assaulted, unfairly, led by a boy who "didn't ask questions" and "didn't get to know Gavin."
He was called to meet someone, surrounded by people he didn't know, choked, punched, and left laying on the pavement so he would "learn his lesson."
Gavin suffered a concussion, bruised esophagus, fractured nose, and hematoma in his eye, but "nothing permanent," according to his mother. Despite the list of injuries, he decided against pressing charges, but did offer a suitable alternate penalty.
He requested their community service to be disability-related, where his attackers would have to write a paper on Asperger's and watch a 20-minute video statement he taped so they can see the damage they did and hear the event from his perspective.
He and his mother hope his bullies get the lesson this time.
The post has been shared more than 800 times, filled with proud and outraged commenters.
