Letter To Philly Mom: Your Autistic Son Is 'Scaring My Normal Children'

A Philadelphia mother has gone public with an anonymous note from a neighbor criticizing her Autistic son and comparing him to a "wild animal" who is "scaring my normal children" — all in the name of raising awareness.

When Bonnie Moran received the note in the mail last week, it brought her to tears.

But Moran, a resident of the Mayfair section of Philadelphia, decided to share that shocking letter about her 3-year-old son with the world in hopes it will raise awareness about Autism.

The handwritten note, signed "one of your neighbors," demands Moran give her son "some old fashioned discipline a few times and he will behave." It also asks that she not bring him out to play in the neighborhood "where other people are coming home from work, have a day off, or just relaxing."

Here is the text of the note, which has been widely circulated on social media and in the news:

To the parent of the small child at this house,

The weather is getting nicer and like normal people I open my windows for fresh air. NOT to hear some BRAT screaming his head off as he flaps his hands like a bird. I don’t care if its the way you raised him or if he is retarded. But the screaming and carring on needs to stop. No one wants to hear him act like a wild animal it’s utterly nerve wracking, not to mention its scaring my Normal children. By you just standing there talking to him don’t do anything. Besides you look like a moron as he walks all over you. Give him some old fashioned discipline a few times and he will behave. If that child needs fresh air … take him to the park not in out back or out front where other people are coming home from work, have a day off, or just relaxing. No one needs to hear that high pitched voice for hours. Do something about that Child!

One of your neighbors

When she first received the note, she "cried for hours," she told Philadelphia Magazine.

But then, after she decided to go public with it, she received an outpouring of support.

After sharing it on the community Facebook group Mayfair Uncensored, dozens of her neighbors expressed support, asking for playdates and sharing their stories.

Her story has also since been shared widely across the media.

It also comes at a perfect time — April is National Autism Awareness Month.

"I used to feel so alone before this. It’s great to know you’re not the only one out there. Turns out that people on my block are going through similar things," she told the magazine. Click here to read the full interview with Philadelphia Magazine.