Good NewsSea lion befriends young boy with Asperger’s Syndrome
On a recent visit to the Smithsonian's National Zoo in Washington, D.C., mom Jennifer Bittner witnessed something remarkable: Her 7-year-old son Alex playing with a sea lion.
"This is the best thing of my life!" Alex, who has Asperger's syndrome, told his family.
Bittner captured the two new friends playing together on camera.
Bittner, who writes about parenting and autism on the blog Seriously Not Boring, told FOX 5 that she and her family were the only ones inside the sea lion exhibit that morning.
Sophie the sea lion quickly took to Alex, following the boy's movements closely. When Alex noticed Sophie mirroring him — "He likes me!" he called out — he began to run back and forth in front of the aquarium window.
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For the next few minutes, Alex and Sophie played follow-the-leader, with Sophie chasing after Alex. She changed direction when he changed direction and stopped when he stopped.
"It was amazing to witness the connection that the beautiful creature and my son seemed to share," Bitter wrote in an email to FOX 5. "He sometimes has trouble interacting and playing with children his own age, but he and the Sea Lion seemed perfectly in sync."
