Experts say bullying has reached epidemic proportions, and if you don't think it can affect your child think again.



Just days before Christmas a Parkview High student takes his own life, and his mother is speaking out pleading for the bullying to end so no other family has to go through the tragedy her family is dealing with now.



Chandler Barnwell was just 16 years old. CJ, as he was called by those closest to him, was a ninth grader at Little Rock's Parkview High.



Anna Barnwell, Chandler's mother says, "He loved and cared about everybody. He just wanted to be friend's with everybody and he just wanted to fit in."



Four years ago at the age of 12 Chandler was diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome, a form of autism that affects a child's ability to socialize and communicate effectively with others.



Anna Barnwell says, "If you were around him long enough you knew there was something just a little different with him. If you didn't know he had Asperger's you would never pick up on it."



But it was his differences that his mother feels made him vulnerable to bullies.



Barnwell says, "We actually had him be able to leave class 5 minutes early because he would be trying to get through the hall with the kids and some of the kids would just stop and wouldn't let him pass."



His mother recounts several stories he told her about classmates teasing him, calling him names, and making fun of him. It had gotten so bad he wanted to graduate early. His mom shared with us a letter he wrote to school officials.



Chandler wrote, "I have Asperger's Syndrome and I don't have any friends here because the students aren't mature enough to handle someone that's different and I can't handle being an outcast for four more years and for that reason I plead that you help me finish high school A.S.A.P."



Two weeks ago he got approval to graduate early. But just days later on December 7th Anna Barnwell came home and found her only child face down in the backyard. Chandler had fatally shot himself.



Barnwell, "I think he just took the words of some cruel people and just took them to heart.…it broke my heart because now these kids are going to go on. They are going to graduate and go to college and my son is not going to get to be with them like he should have."



Ruth Fissel, who had been Chandler's therapist for about four years says, says he struggled with not fitting in and recognized he was different.



Fissel says, "He used the word ostracized and he said I don't want mom and dad to know I don't have any friends because his thing was I want friends."



Despite his struggles she did not think Chandler was suicidal and believes something triggered him that day to take his life.



Fissel says, "That's the question for us. What did happen either that day at school, that night on Facebook. that night in the neighborhood. What happened?"



While we may never know, Chandler's loved ones hope his death will raise awareness about the potentially deadly consequences of bullying.



Fissel says, "As a therapist and a person who works with a lot of educators It's difficult but I think with the things that are happening and epidemic proportions of bullying and how they impact suicide and depression we've got to do something or we are going to lose so many of our youth and they are our future and we have to be able to protect them."



Barnwell says, "I want other parents to realize that we need to be teaching our children to be more accepting of differences no matter what the difference is and that can only start in the home."



As for students Anna says she hopes they will learn from Chandler and do as he did and embrace everyone's differences.



Barnwell says, "Don't call them out on their differences because differences are what make everybody unique."