Supporting the Varsity Team!

Kids with autism have many character traits to be proud of.  However, there are also some character traits of kids with autism that are negative and need a lot of extra help for them to overcome.  One of the biggest struggles kids with autism have is an extreme self-focus.  Their "world" is usually very small, and they are the center of their world.

Timothy had a small victory in that area today.  The JV players were invited to suit up and come out to the Varsity play-off game.  I thought it was important for Timothy to do this to show his support and to continue to be a part of the team.

Timothy did NOT want to suit up.  He was so afraid that he would have to play, and he kept telling me over and over again that the 12-year-olds were huge.  He was scared he would have to go out there and would be put up against a huge 12-year-old.    I explained to him that he would probably not even play.  He couldn't understand why he needed to suit up if he wasn't going to play.  I continued to try to explain to him that it would show his support to his teammates by being there suited up and on the sidelines.

He sort of understood and agreed to do it, and then had a great time.  The Varsity team won and it was an *VERY* exciting game.   He was glad that he did it, and is look forward to suiting up for next week's championship game!  :)