Meltdown to Memory: Mom’s TikTok about photographer who helped son with special needs goes viral
By Logan Dubel
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CHATTANOOGA, Tennessee (WRCB) — A Chattanooga mom’s video amassed has gained close to 9 million views across TikTok and Instagram – and counting. It comes after she posted about a local photographer who turned a family photoshoot that started with a meltdown into a memory.
Jordyn Burdette said her 6-year-old son with special needs started overstimulating, as they started taking their first extended family photos in 12 years.
“We got just minutes into the photoshoot, and it was very clear that my son was overstimulating,” Burdette said.
Within minutes, her son started hysterically laughing, thanks to photographer Matt Wolcott.
Owner of Matt and Shea Photography, Wolcott has attended trainings around the country led by Wedding & Portrait Photographers International (WPPI) and the Professional Photographers of America (PPA), specifically about working with special needs children.
He’s also learned to help children from all backgrounds through becoming a foster parent. He adopted four children from foster care.
“You’ve got to recognize it fast, because if you don’t and it gets into that full on meltdown, it’s a lot harder to bring them back,” Wolcott said.
His antics to make kids crack a smile vary by age. For those like Burdette’s son, he’ll hit his head with his clipboard to make them laugh. For even younger children, Wolcott’s daughter Shea helps out by scaring him with a teddy bear.
“Nothing beats slapping your head with a clipboard for a kid that age. That’s something that the job requires,” he said. “You just want the natural smile.”
The video has over 1,400 comments, and Burdette said many families like hers responded that they too have avoided booking portraits with similar worries.
“There’s been times that our son struggled, and he was definitely met with hostility, and it just escalated the situation, and so it leaves you in a spot where you can be anxious to do things like that,” she said. “I just thought, what an amazing thing that we have somebody that took the time to learn how to work with everyone.”
Now, she’s hoping other families get to make a similar memory.
“They deserve to have beautiful family pictures too, and their kids deserve to be met with grace and kindness when they’re struggling,” Burdette said.
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