Concord – The owner of a Concord hair salon has turned a presidential candidate's $400 haircut from the stuff of late-night comedy into a noble cause.

David Holden has been cutting hair for 25 years; he's owned Hair Biz Salon on North Main Street for a decade. After the story broke last spring that former Democratic Senator John Edwards had paid $400 for a haircut (the total actually included travel expenses for the stylist), it started Holden thinking.

This primary season, what if he invited all the presidential candidates to his salon for the same $400 haircut, and donated the proceeds to autism research?

Holden has turned his idea into a reality. So far, Republicans Tom Tancredo and Mike Huckabee -- he's been in twice -- and Democrat Dennis Kucinich have paid their $400 and gotten haircuts. And Holden is hoping as the campaign season heats up in the coming weeks, he'll see the rest of the presidential contenders, as well.

"This is a bipartisan effort to reach out to all candidates," Holden said. "This is not a Democratic or Republican issue. This is an issue about children and families."

And for him, the issue is deeply personal. He and his wife, Nancy, have two adopted children from Romania; their 12-year-old son, Costica, is autistic.

Costica, who attends Shaker Road School, has what is known as institutional autism. "His autism is all from trauma," his dad explained.

"He was a wreck when we got him."

Costica still has socialization problems, but "he continues to progress all the time," his father said.

The youngster's name means "the wise one" in Romania. "It's a beautiful name and he's a wonderful kid," Holden said. "We're blessed as a family to have such a wonderful son."

Holden's unusual campaign to raise money for and awareness of autism has received national, even international attention. Stories about the haircuts have appeared in The Guardian in London, and in a newspaper in Asia, friends have told him.

Holden stressed that he had no intention of poking fun at Sen. Edwards, even though that candidate's now-infamous haircut was what sparked his idea. "I'd love to have John Edwards come in here," he said -- or Edwards' popular wife, Elizabeth.

And he'd really like to have both Bill and Hillary Clinton stop by, as well, although he added, "I know Hillary won't get a haircut with TV cameras on her."

When Congressman Tancredo visited the salon Nov. 16, there were so many TV cameras following him that they hampered Holden's work. "A standard 15-minute haircut turned into 30 or 40 minutes because I couldn't move," he said.

Making those who would be President more aware of the needs of children and families with autism is his goal, Holden said.

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"Everyone knows a family who has a child who has autism," he said. 'Especially kids: They go to school and they all know a kid who has autism."

The candidates' donations have inspired ordinary citizens to contribute to the cause, as well. Holden said a recent visitor from Indiana, in town to visit relatives, put a $400 haircut on her credit card when she heard about what he's doing.

"I've had donations from $2 to $100," Holden said. "And, as far as I'm concerned, the person who gives $2 is just as valuable as the person who has the ability to give $100."

Holden said the $400 donations from presidential candidates will go to the Autism Society of America. Any contributions from non-candidates will be shared between the national organization and the New Hampshire Autism Society.

Gordon Lavigne, director of development for the Autism Society of America, said the organization was thrilled to learn what Holden is doing. "It's a great example of the power of one person," he said.

The latest research indicates that autism, a developmental disability resulting from a neurological disorder, is becoming more prevalent, occurring once every 150 births, according to the Autism Society of America's Web site.

So what does Holden's son think of what's been going on? "He doesn't really understand all of the hoopla," he said. But Costica was pretty excited about the balloons Congressman Kucinich brought with him.

And his dad makes sure Costica is in the photos taken with the candidates.

"I want him in the picture because the story is about him," Holden said. "It's about a little boy with autism."

For information about autism, visit autism-society.org