Knoxville — One mother's Facebook post that attracted lots of shares on line is also helping raising awareness about autism.
Melissa Beebe of Louisiana says her daughter lives with autism and wasn't allowed on a tour of Forbidden Caverns in Sevierville.
Forbidden Caverns says that post is wrong. The owner says they make every effort to accommodate guests with special needs.
Jennifer King's son Hunter is 13 and has autism. She is not connected to Beebe or the Caverns, but saw the viral post online.
Now, she hopes people will understand more about a disorder the CDC says affects 1 in 59 children.
"When it comes to social media, I try to stay away from the comments," King said.
So when she read Melissa Beebe's viral post, claiming her daughter with autism got turned away from Forbidden Caverns, she stayed quiet.
"Because I know I'm going to get upset and say my piece when I shouldn't," King said.
But others did speak up--saying Beebe should have behaved differently, or that Forbidden Caverns could've been more understanding.
King says the comments show autism is easily misunderstood.
"It's very hard going out in social settings," King said.
She says it can be discouraging for her and her 13-year-old son Hunter, who has autism.
"I've gotten dirty looks from other people, I have heard little snide comments off to the side, after all these years I don't pay attention," King said.
And sometimes, a child with autism makes noises that can be confusing.
"Since he mostly non-verbal, when he does get excited, he does make noise," King said. "When he gets upset he makes noise, a lot of times you cannot tell a difference."
Sara Gilbert at the Knoxville Center for Autism says every child with autism is different.
"They have different things that trigger them, different things that might scare them, and also just the way they communicate those things are way different too," Gilbert said.
And that can make others uncomfortable.
"Try to be patient, try to be understand, know that yeah, you might be a little inconvenienced, and you may be a little irritated, but that does not compare to what that child is going through," King said.
Gilbert says many children who come to the Knoxville Center for Autism for therapy show a lot of progress.
Children who struggle to go on vacation one year, might have a much easier time the next year, with therapy.