CT Families: Avon woman finds niche cutting hair for those on the autism spectrum

AVON, Conn. (WTNH) – Getting a haircut can be very difficult for someone with autism, but a woman in Avon has found her calling, helping kids and adults feel comfortable in a salon.

These days, Rachel Marks of Simsbury looks forward to a trip to the salon, but that’s a big change from years ago.

“I’ve actually learned to love my hair,” said the 28-year-old.

“When she was little and I took her to other people for haircuts, she would scream and yell,” her mom Jodi said.

“Her neck was super sensitive and she would thrash a little bit. She had a super hard time with that,” said stylist Sally Larsen, who worked with Rachel, as she’s worked with countless others with autism, at her business Cuts for Peanuts .

Larsen sort of fell into this niche in the 1990s when the spectrum was not well-known.

“It was really just starting to come out. I had clients coming in and a lot of them were really struggling,” she said.

This mom of two started reading and researching, learning from her clients as they came along.

“I meet them where they are. I had a client a couple of weeks ago, she couldn’t come into the salon, so, I cut her hair on the bench in the hallway,” Larsen said.

She said it’s not the easy thing to do, but gaining their trust is the most important thing in her mind, even if the haircuts aren’t perfect at the beginning.

Jacob Polsgrove, now 16, got his very first cut with Larsen. It was just the beginning.

“She’s been taking my haircuts for years, to the point I can’t remember how many times she’s done it,” he said.

“There’s definitely a need and she’s filling it,” said Jacob’s mom, Jodi of Simsbury.

Larsen’s eyes fill with happy tears when she speaks about her clients.

That emotion is very real.

Larsen said her clients are friends and it’s a privilege to watch them grow.

“I’m very lucky to do what I do and I love what I do,” she said.

Larsen hopes more hair dressing schools will offer classes on how to work with those on the autism spectrum.

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