Mass. teens react to attention after inviting kid with autism to play: "I feel really happy he felt included"

If there was ever a lesson that small, kind gestures can go a long way, this group of teens from Milford, Massachusetts, certainly is a wonderful example. 

Earlier this week, 7-year-old Tristan Caron, who has autism, was at Urban Air Adventure Park in Bellingham with his mother, Christina, when a group of teenagers invited him to play with them. The interaction left a lasting impression on Christina, who took to social media to thank the teens for including her son. 

Livy Molinari, one of the teenagers, told WBZ-TV that the interaction happened when she decided to ask Tristan one question after noticing he was sitting by himself. 

"I said 'that's a really nice ball you have,' because he had just won a ball," she said. "I was like, 'can I hold it for a second?' And he was like, 'yeah sure.'"  

A simple game of toss with Tristan turned into a 40-minute jamboree of hide-and-seek, catch and fun on the slide. 

"He was really excited and happy when we asked his mom if he could play with us too," said Kelsey Zozzaro, one of the teens. 

It was more than just laughter. Tristan's mom said it was life-changing for her son who usually gets left out. She was able to identify the teenagers through Facebook.

The teens told WBZ-TV that they had no idea Tristan had autism but saw him sitting alone and wanted to include him. 

"We just wanted to include him and have a fun time playing around at Urban Air. And I feel really happy he felt included and as joyful as he did," said Anna Hele, another one of the teens. 

Word of the teens' actions spread quickly around the community, something the group said they did not anticipate but are embracing. 

"It's nice we included him and other people get to know about this, so maybe they can think about it when other people aren't included," said Kenny Leite, a teen from the group. 

Urban Air Adventure Park has been in contact with everyone involved and said they plan to invite everyone back to the park for a day of celebrating the teens' act of kindness.