Today is a cold crisp Autumn Saturday and Michael is readying himself for his first J.V. playoff game. Yes, JUNIOR VARSITY!

This football season has been a very positive experience for him. Football has been wonderful behavior and social skill support and therapy. It has provided occupational therapy with gross motor skills in a way that allowed him to participate with neurotypical peers.

It has also been a very eye-opening experience for me. Perspective became a very important word for me while Michael played football. It was all how I perceived the privilege of Michael being on the team, participating in practices and on the field for games. It was incredibly important and special to everyone in our family to see Michael enjoy his time at practice and get “fired up” with his teammates at the games. While other parents might whine and complain because their child was not a starter, I was thrilled if he played at all. Other parents could pout and complain to coaches if their child had any “bench time” at all while I was excited to see my son play less than two minutes in his first game, and then stay on the field to run through several plays by the end of his mighty mite season.

As the season started I was worried about games and how Michael would react to “real” and “live” hits. In last month’s article I shared with you what happened at Michael’s first practice. The first practice was, of course, the roughest one – for Michael and for me. After discussing with the league head coach and the mighty mite head coach I was very confident in their abilities to coach and care for my son while he was on their field. Some people think that it is “just football” to yell and demean and be overly physical with young football players in order to teach them how to play the game. It was incredibly refreshing to learn that these coaches and most of these parents involved in this league do not share that sentiment.

I spoke with Andy Fair, the head coach of the whole East Side Mustang Midget league about what his expectations were of Michael once he learned that he had a diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder. “I thought, how bad is this, what do I do with this kid, how do I handle him,” Andy said. Andy grew up and played for the East Side Mustangs himself. He is a young man with a passion for the game that is incredibly obvious when you watch him interact with the young players on the field. I then asked him if Michael met his expectations. Andy told me, “He exceeded my expectations! After the first few days I saw a difference in his abilities and conditioning. See him practice and play… he can continue to move up through the league. He is an awesome learner and doing really well. He is making friends, joining in on his own and becoming one of the guys! I don’t think his special needs are any different from other boys his age and skill level. He has impressed me.”

Michael’s Mighty Mite head coach, Mike Johnson did an outstanding job with Michael. At the beginning of the season he had all the players on his team “walk through” drills with Michael, there were no “live hits” until he was sure that Michael was ready to defend himself. Mike told me that Michael wouldn’t get much playing time in the games until he was sure he would be ready to defend himself against the other team. “I started the season walking through the drills with Mikey, but not anymore. He is not very aggressive yet and there is a lag in his reaction time,” Mike told me.

It amazes me that we are already at the end of the football season. At the end of the season the Mighty Mites were asked if they would like to practice with the junior varsity boys because J.V. made the playoffs. There was no promise they would get to play in the game, but what they did offer was the chance to practice longer and with boys above their playing level. Michael asked his father, who was one of the assistant coaches, “Dad, can I play too? I want to learn more!”

These practices were rougher and tougher than his regular Mighty Mite practices, five days a week instead of his usual 3 days a week. Michael was one of only 2 of his 15 teammates to practice with the J.V. Today was that playoff game. Michael suited up, joined his J.V. teammates on the field, spent the entire game on the sideline cheering on his team and celebrated the 28-20 win with them in the locker room. Now we have one more week to practice and one final game for the championship. Again, Michael had a choice and again, he wants to continue to play football. With a very proud smile on his face he walked up to me with his helmet in his hand, “Mom, WE WON! And I get to practice with them next week too! There’s one more game!”

I am sure there were parents who felt that my son should not be on that field with their sons. I hope by now they have learned that Michael has an incredible spirit and a desire to play and to excel at football. He found something that he truly enjoys. He’s proud of himself and his accomplishments. I am very impressed with the coaches and incredibly proud of Michael’s teammates. The young man who began the season running with Michael through distance and hill drills did that through the end of the season. By the end of the season there were several players who would run with Michael.