Go Sharks!

Team sports and autism generally don't mix. Even if kids with autism are coordinated enough to play sports, it's difficult for them to be part of a team because they have a hard time understanding the concept of "we" and not "me." If a kid with autism has the soccer ball, for example, he may not be able to look around for another team mate to pass the ball to and make the goal. He'd probably try to just kick the ball to the goal himself, ignoring the possible opportunities to help the team win.

So when Ethan was diagnosed with autism, I didn't see team sports in his future. I felt a pang of sadness every time I heard moms talk about taking their kids to various sporting events. Instead, Terry and I began to focus on individual activities, such as swimming, and hoped that would be an outlet for him.

Ethan, however, had other plans. When he started kindergarten, he noticed kids playing soccer, and heard all his classmates talk about playing. He told me he wanted to play, but it was too late to sign him up for the fall. So I made a pledge to sign him up for spring soccer with the recreation center. "Are you sure you want to play?" I asked. "Yes," he said.

So with my heart in my throat, I signed him up. On one hand, I really felt he had the athletic skills to do it. Plus, it would be great opportunity for him to be around other kids in a structured, social setting. On the other hand, if Ethan didn't like it, he would be very vocal about it. I pictured him saying loudly, "This is boring!" and flopping himself down in the middle of the field. Or wandering off to go look at something more interesting than the game he's supposed to play.
But for $40, I figured if it didn't work out, it wouldn't be a huge loss. We'd never know until we tried.

On the first day of practice, some of my worst fears were confirmed. Ethan had a hard time staying in line for the drills. The coach had to repeatedly give him directions--"Kick the ball. Kick the ball. Kick the ball." This was going to be a long six weeks, I thought.

I resolved to work with Ethan during the week. I set up a soccer goal in the back yard, and we practiced kicking the ball into it. I also made him practice passing the ball back and forth to me. I told him over and over, "Listen to your coach."

It seemed to help. At Ethan's next game/practice, he stayed in line and completed the drills. During the game, he was too timid to kick the ball, but ran along with the other kids. The coach had him kick the ball in when it went out of bounds. Throughout the game, kept waiting for him to flop himself down in the middle of the field, or wander off. When he finally did fall down to the ground, the coach blew the whistle. Game over!!

"You did it!" I cried. "You played your first soccer game. You did great!" Ethan had a big smile on his face.

Ethan still has long way to go before he gets the team concept, let alone soccer, down. But his baby steps are definitely going in the right direction.