When 8-year-old Sonya Dilks, a student of taekwondo, stepped onto the mat on a recent afternoon, she was instantly at ease. She high-fived one classmate and took a gentle jab at another.
But the girl on the mat barely seemed to resemble the girl who just moments before had been in her instructor’s office, with her parents, as they offered words of encouragement for an upcoming competition. The Sonya who stood in the office clutched her favorite stuffed animal, uttered no more than a dozen words and frequently blushed.
Sonya, who on Sunday earned her black belt, is autistic.
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