Mother's autistic child hates photos so she came up with this brilliant solution

Mother and photographer Samantha Bishop has a lot of trouble getting her little boy Levi to pose for photos.

Levi has autistism and feels uncomfortable maintaining eye contact or smiling on command. So instead of "begging and pleading for a few good photos", the photographer came up with a genius solution.

Enlisting the help of Levi's best friend Lola, five, Bishop dressed her son up in a dinosaur costume and hosted a 'Jurassic Park' style photoshoot.

The results are wonderfully heartwarming.

Since sharing the photos on Facebook, Bishop's post has gone viral, clocking up over 7000 shares and 6000 likes.

In a follow-up post, Bishop explained the backstory behind the sweet photos, and why she's so open about the fact her son is autistic.

"I've received a lot of grief from various people for this photoshoot. Many people said stating that he has autism was irrelevant, or attention seeking," the mum-of-one wrote.

She continued to write that she had Levi when she was only 18 years old, and has raised him by herself. While his diagnosis has been difficult, she's passionate about the world embracing her son for the person he is. 

"While many people don't see why his autism or other special needs have anything to do with this shoot, I think many will," she continued.

"This is him in his element. There are no forced smiles, no bribery, no pretend happiness. This is the goofy, hilarious, kind-hearted boy I was given.

“Because of his special needs he has a near photographic memory, he is as blunt as they come, he can build anything, and he is hilarious and brilliant. And so I choose to celebrate his 'labels' and teach him to use them to his advantage rather than see them as an obstacle."

Facebook users celebrated Bishop's openness. "Love this, absolutely beautiful," one person wrote. "Quite simply inspiring" and "You are an embodiment of great parenting" said others.