Dance held for boy with autism after he was denied entry to school function

Pelham, N.H. — A boy with autism from Pelham, NH got his own dance on Friday after he was turned away from a school dance earlier this year.

Max Bedard was turned away from a semi-formal dance at Pelham Memorial Middle School because he was dressed 'inappropriately,' his mother told FOX25 News.

He was wearing black sweatpants, a gray, long sleeve T-shirt and a zip-up hoodie – with dog tags in honor of his brother who recently joined the Army. This is Max’s standard clothing choice because of his autism.

The Middlemiss family, complete strangers from Dracut, decided to host a special dance just for Bedard and they invited the community.

“I was just blown away. I have been so – there are no words to express my gratitude, how incredibly touched I’ve been through all the support he’s gotten,” Michelle Bedard said.

The Middlemiss family lost their 6-year-old son to a heart problem and now their 3-year-old has the same devastating diagnosis.

The Joseph Middlemiss Big Heart Foundation, in their late son's name, spreads random acts of kindness which is why the family is putting on the dance.

“We do a lot of fundraising events and we do a ton of things to raise money, and this is one of our opportunities to give back to him,” Kate Middlemiss said.

Cox Media Group