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Soren with all his gifts and snacks from his neighbors (Image: Leah Farrow)
When Leah Farrow asked her local Facebook group if anyone would let her autistic son knock on their door for his birthday, she hoped a few kind neighbours would say yes. Instead, 83 households spent a summer afternoon opening their doors to an 11-year-old boy dressed as a banana.According to an exclusive report by PEOPLE magazine, the special celebration turned a quiet neighbourhood into an early Halloween for 11-year-old Soren.Farrow, 47, made the Facebook post asking if people would let her son enjoy trick-or-treating months before Halloween. The response was much bigger than she had expected.“I did not expect it at all,” Farrow told PEOPLE. “I was expecting a few people to agree, but the sheer amount of people wanting to make my son’s birthday special was amazing.”A video Farrow later shared on TikTok showed Soren happily walking through the neighbourhood with his plastic treat bucket, knocking on door after door. In the text on the video, Farrow said that 83 families had happily volunteered to take part. She thanked her community and wrote that they had shown "why community matters."
Pretend play turns into a community celebration
For Soren, trick-or-treating has become much more than a once-a-year tradition. Farrow explained that her son loves moving around, walking, and ringing doorbells.
During Halloween last year, he discovered that trick-or-treating let him enjoy all of those favourite activities for hours.After that, the game became a regular part of life at home.“Since then, he would sometimes pretend play trick-or-treating at our house, putting on part of a costume and walking around with his bucket, knocking on doors and saying ‘trick-or-treat,’” Farrow told PEOPLE.As his birthday came closer, Farrow wanted to recreate that experience during the summer.
She turned to her local Facebook group, hoping enough neighbours would agree to answer their doors for one afternoon.The community quickly made the event their own. When Farrow offered to provide sweets for neighbours to hand back to her son, they politely refused. Instead, they asked what kinds of sweets, snacks, and toys Soren liked so they could prepare gifts especially for him.“It was incredibly touching to see the amount of effort everyone put into the day,” Farrow said.
“I offered to drop off candy for everyone to pass out, but no one took me up on that offer, and instead asked what candy he liked, as well as what toys and snacks.”
Joy, kindness, and acceptance
As Soren walked around the neighbourhood, neighbours welcomed him with sweets, wrapped gifts, and birthday wishes waiting behind their doors. Although he enjoyed the presents, Farrow said seeing local children join in meant the most to her.“I think seeing the children being so excited to participate really stayed with me,” she told PEOPLE.
“Their joy was infectious and made me optimistic about Soren being loved and accepted by his peers.”Throughout the afternoon, Soren showed his excitement in his own way. Farrow said he repeated his favourite phrases, jumped happily, and flapped his arms before the event started and as he walked from house to house.For Farrow, the day also eased a worry that many parents of neurodivergent children share.“Knowing that my community accepts him and embraces him gives me a sense of relief,” Farrow said.
“I know that my son is safe here, and loved by those around him.”
Challenging misunderstandings about autism
In her interview with PEOPLE, Farrow said that every autistic child is different and has their own needs. While Soren enjoys noise, music, and constant movement, many families with autistic children stay home because they worry their child's behaviour might bother others.“Reaching out to parents of autistic children in your life and offering to come over, even just to spend social time with them, can help a lot,” Farrow said.Although she never expected her TikTok video to go viral, Farrow hopes the story reminds people how much kindness exists in local communities.“I hope people take away that tons of good people are out there, and sometimes all you have to do is reach out and give them an opportunity to show that,” Farrow told PEOPLE. “It’s easy to get lost in the bad news, but there’s so much love and wonder in the world if you look for it.”
