Boy With Autism Learned Heimlich Maneuver From SpongeBob, Then Saved Classmate From Choking
Thirteen-year-old Brandon Williams did some quick thinking when one of his classmates started choking on an apple during lunch, jumping up and performing the Heimlich maneuver. The Staten Island Advance reports it worked — Jessica Pellegrino coughed up the offending piece of fruit and survived the incident. Brandon, who is a seventh-grader at Barnes Intermediate School, credits the TV show SpongeBob SquarePants as the source of his knowledge.
“He picks up on things that most of us would miss and files it all away in his head, and he can recall it all in an instant,” Brandon’s dad explained of his son, who has autism. “That’s how he knew instantly what to do. And we’re glad he did. We’re proud of him.”
Brandon is part of a special-needs class and was assigned a paraprofessional at school — Brain Griffin, a retired police officer. Griffin was present in class the day Jessica choked.
“The cafeteria is always very noisy, but I heard the kids calling me,” he recalled. “I was ready to jump in, but Brandon had it. He was amazing. I’ve never seen anything like it.”
Griffin, like Brandon’s dad, said he was very proud.
“Some people may have preconceived notions about autism, but these kids are intelligent, loving, just amazing kids.”