ORLANDO, Fla. — A worker at Universal's Island of Adventure is a real-life super hero after helping calm a young autistic boy at the park. 

• Universal Island of Adventure worker comes to rescue of autistic boy
• Boy, 9, was upset he couldn't go on Spiderman ride, which had shut down
• Employee Jen Whelchel got on the ground with the upset boy, helping him calm down

When 9-year-old Ralph Koppelman became upset about the Spiderman ride not working, employee Jen Whelchel went into action.

Lenore Koppelman said when her autistic son "lost it" over not being able to go on the ride, he began crying and screaming. 

That's when Whelchel got down on the ground next to the boy and stayed there until he became calm. 

• Attractions Insider

She let him cry, helped him breathe and diverted foot traffic. She told Ralph it was OK to be sad, Koppelman wrote. The two lay there until the boy felt better.

When they got up, Ralph picked out Spidey trinkets from the gift shop (courtesy of Whelchel). Ralph smiled and thanked her, and Koppelman hugged her, long and hard.

The parent shared her experience in a glowing Facebook recommendation, now shared almost 40,000 times, thanking the "magical people" who made Ralph feel special.

Information from CNN was used in this report.