Mayfair mom receives scathing letter about her child with autism

MAYFAIR (WPVI) -- An anonymous letter from a neighbor sent one fuming, emotional mother in Philadelphia's Mayfair section to Facebook.

Bonnie Moran went to social media not to just air out the hateful handwritten note she'd received, but to raise awareness about autism.

Moran is a mother of three and has a child with autism - her youngest son, Ryan.

The neighbor, apparently upset that they can't get fresh air without being disturbed by the little boy, wrote the scathing note that starts out calling him a brat and even goes so far as to use the "r" word.

"I was mad, angry, beyond angry," Moran said.

It reads, in part, "the screaming and carrying on needs to stop. No one wants to hear him act like a wild animal, it's utterly nerve-wracking, not to mention, it's scaring my normal children."

The neighbor, bothered by the child's behavior, goes on to suggest that Bonnie should "give him some old-fashioned discipline a few times and he will behave."

Moran says this is the first time someone has complained about Ryan who also has ADHD.

"He doesn't comprehend like you or me, he gets overwhelmed very easily," Moran said.

Bonnie was so angry with what she read she posted the letter to Facebook.

Neighbors are floored by the now viral note.

"Whatever they said in the letter, I don't see that at all. I see him as being a regular kid," neighbor Danielle McMahan said.

"I can't imagine it being anyone on this block to be honest, maybe someone she shares the driveway with, but this core group, not at all, nobody would do that," neighbor Tracy Berry said.

Moran says she doesn't know which neighbor penned the note, but is sharing it to educate people, to let this serve as a reminder never to judge somebody, because you never know what they are going through.

"Get educated before you judge," Moran said.

Councilman Derek Green, an autism advocate and a parent himself, encourages whoever wrote the letter to learn more about autism and services in the city at hearings next week downtown.

"A child on the autism spectrum has a learning difference, they deal with things differently and interpret things differently. I think we need to have more acceptance and awareness," Green said.

There is some heartwarming news for Bonnie, though. After she posted the letter, her son Ryan got a few calls for playdates.