Caring Santa praised for going that little bit further during autistic boy's visit

Caring Santa plays on the floor with 6-year-old Brayden, who has autism. Credit: Autism Speaks

A shopping centre Santa in the US has garnered international admiration across social media, after photos of him playing on the floor with a boy with autism went viral.

Six-year-old Brayden Deely, who was diagnosed with autism at the age of three, had always wanted to meet the big man in a red suit.

But his condition made taking the traditional holiday photos more and more difficult as the years went on.

"I thought we would never get those holiday pictures with him because it's something he can't handle – the noise, and the pressure. He gets anxious if you ask him to smile, it's all too much for him," Erin Deely, Brayden’s mother, told PEOPLE magazine.

'Caring Santa' provides children with special needs the opportunity to meet Santa in a more private environment. Credit: Caring Santa/Autism Speaks

Then she discovered the Caring Santa initiative, which gives children with autism and special needs the chance to meet the big man in a more private and welcoming environment.

The program is sponsored by Autism Speaks and has presence in 120 malls across the US in the months leading up to Christmas.

Excited about the prospect of her son finally getting the opportunity to tell Santa what he wants, Erin took little Brayden to the SouthPark mall in Charlotte, North Carolina last month, and the events that followed almost melted her heart.

Caring Santa plays on the floor with 6-year-old Brayden, who is autistic. Credit: Autism Speaks

As Brayden inched towards Santa’s chair, feeling shy around the stranger with the white beard, the big man in the red suit didn’t wait for the boy to sit on his lap like children normally do.

Instead, this caring Santa got on the ground with Brayden and started playing with him and his toys.

The photos of Brayden and Santa were posted on Autism Speaks’ Facebook page and quickly went viral. The post has been shared more than 50,000 times thus far.

“OMG!!!!! That's Brayden on the Autism Speaks page! We took him to see Caring Santa a couple of weeks ago and the staff loved his pictures so much they asked us to sign a release to use them in the future! (I figured that meant next year)," Erin wrote on her Facebook.

"Imagine my surprise when I just saw this article in my news feed!! These pictures were supposed to be a surprise for Christmas gifts but how could I not share this?!" she exclaimed.

6-year-old Brayden and his family received international media attention after pictures of him playing with Santa went viral. Credit: Erin Deely/Facebook

Amid the flurry of media attention that followed on the tail of Brayden's adorable photos, the stay-at-home mom called the whole event a "special gift from Santa" to her whole family.

"I just want to hug this man. He's so wonderful!," Erin said.