1:23
- family
- April 25, 2019
Boy reveals to his classmates that he is autistic
The impromptu speech was filmed by Rumari's teacher.
1:23
\"I think you're amazing pal,\" one girl said.
A classmate chimed in, \"It doesn't matter what a person does or if it may look weird or if they might make weird noises sometimes...they're good just the way they are, like you, Rumari.\"
\"This is not a question, but I think you're awesome just the way you are,\" another friend said.
View this post on InstagramA post shared by Rumari Z (@superrumari) on Apr 12, 2019 at 2:29pm PDT
Rumari's mom, Olivia Dasso, told \"Good Morning America\" her son was diagnosed with autism at three years old. Dasso said she and her husband decided from the beginning that they were going to allow Rumari to discover the disability on his own.
\"We didn't want it to be an excuse, a barrier or a boundary for him,\" Dasso said. \"We figured if it came up we'd have the talk, and it did come up.\"
A few months ago, Rumari was watching the trailer for the 1988 film, \"Rain Man,\" which features an autistic character, Dasso said.
![\"PHOTO:](\"http://a.abcnews.com/images/GMA/zalez-3-ht-er-190424_hpEmbed_3x2_384.jpg\")
View this post on InstagramA post shared by Rumari Z (@superrumari) on Apr 20, 2019 at 10:39am PDT
\"He said, 'I have that' and the house kind of stopped,\" Dasso recalled. \"I said, 'You know? Everybody has something.' And then we just dropped it. He never brought it up again until he made that speech.\"
Dasso said the video of Rumari's speech made her a \"proud mom.\" With thousands of views online, Rumari is enjoying the spotlight.
\"The first time we were walking in public he says, 'Are they recognizing me now?'\" Dasso said.
![\"PHOTO:](\"http://a.abcnews.com/images/GMA/zalez-1-ht-er-190424_hpMain_4x3t_384.jpg\")
She went on, \"He was brave enough and had the courage to say, 'Everybody has something different.' The reaction of the kids so openly wanting to hug him... it was so warming to see that.\"
Dasso said Rumari has a message to other kids with autism: \"You are unique like him and have a superpower. That's something no bully has.\"
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