Teen With Asperger's Teaches Gang That Beat Him Up Meaningful Lesson

An autistic teen chose education instead of legal action as his response to being horribly beaten by a group of people.

A recent high school graduate from New Baden, Illinois, Gavin Joseph, was diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome, a mild form of autism, when he was 3 years old.

He was attending an event in his hometown late last month when a teenage boy he didn't know called him over, according to Daily Mail.

Joseph was then choked and punched by the boy and his friends; they apparently wanted to teach the victim a lesson.

In Facebook post Gavin's mother, Cortnie Stone, wrote the attackers targeted her son because they found his introversion "weird" and "creepy."

Joseph's disorder significantly impedes his capacity for social interaction, so he keeps to himself most of the time.

In the Facebook post, Cortnie added,

Gavin has spent years learning what society thinks is appropriate and not appropriate, and so he doesn't offend anyone or stick out in social situations. Being a teenager with Asperger's is tough because all the sudden people around you are consistently 'breaking' all the social do's and don'ts you've spent years learning.

The assault resulted in a concussion, a bruised esophagus, a fractured nose and a hematoma in his eye.

But, Joseph elected not to press charges.

Pix-11 reports the victim requested for his attackers to partake in community service in which they will watch a 20-minute video Joseph made about Asperger's and then write a paper on the disorder.

Joseph additionally asked for the attackers to watch the video with their families.

Cortnie wrote,

If you are reading this, I hope you talk to your teens, tell them about disabilities you can't see, teach them to be tolerant of people that are different, teach them that if they continuously see someone alone that maybe it is not their choice to be alone, remind them to ask questions first and get to know one another.

She added she is extremely "proud" of her son and none of his injuries are "permanent."

Citations: Aspergers teen left with concussion and black eye by bullies decides NOT to press charges and asks only that they watch video he made about living with his condition and see the damage they did (Daily Mail), Teen with Aspergers syndrome teaches bullies who beat him up a life lesson (Pix 11)