My son Zach ,hes Autistic, he LOVES football, he started playing at the age of 8 at the recommendation of his dr to try and get him to learn from seeing and doing, communication was rough for Zach, he would listen and do as I said but to have a actual conversation with my son was unheard of . We signed him up on a jr league, and at first I was skeptical, then as days and weeks and years went by I saw something amazing happen , thru the consistency of playing with the same boys and the same team, a bond was formed.Having been informed of Zachs condition, His team mates accepted him and watched out for him helped him finish a lap when needed , they were always there to encourage, to help ,and to guide him to the proper position, in his last yr in jr league, they made him honorary team captain , because of his never ending enthusiasm and because even though he couldn't do all the drills as fast or as well as the other kids, he never ever gave up.
Zach started jr high this year and wanted to play on there team, I told him we would see, I called and spoke with the coach at school and he was all to happy to let him join the team . Having special needs and Autism didn't stop my son from doing what he loves , with some help , support from his family, along with understanding and acceptance from our community and team mates , he is living his dream, and as we are at wal mart , the mall or even at the park and anywhere public, people walk by and say hey to Zach ( who has a knack for remembering places cars and faces) he says hello to them all , as I am left wondering where he knows all these people from ,most he has met through school and football functions we attend.. he patiently tells me , and I listen in awe, as my son talks....
Parkersburg, WV
