Don't Keep Sports Off Limits

Michael John Carley is the Founder of GRASP, and the author of "Asperger's From the Inside-Out" (Penguin/Perigee), "The Last Memoir of Asperger Syndrome" (TBD), and numerous articles. In 2000, he and one of his two sons were diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome. 

When you grow up with any kind of developmental disability it means that you do not grow as everyone else does. Shut out of the rituals of your peers -- the "developmentally-appropriate" experiences others refer to -- you will grow in different, often unseen ways. We positive types like to mention that there are some areas where you might find yourself surprisingly ahead of your peers. But, as we all know, not only will the areas where we are behind get the most notice (as that is what others will more clearly see), being in any kind of minority makes life harder, not just "different."

For autism spectrum kids who are better able to navigate greater society, sports are one of those rituals. But unlike fellow proponents of "more athletics for spectrum kids," my concerns don't rest solely with the exercise benefit. In 10 years of running the world's largest membership organization for adults (GRASP), I saw inestimable damage because people had grown up terrified of competition. In some cases, with folks whose ages range from the 20s to the 80s, I even saw a commitment -- rather than a conditioning -- towards avoiding rivalry. They were so determined to avoid creating, or engaging in any kind of battle with their fellow humans that they wouldn't even utter the words, "I can do better," which, as we all know, is wherein we compete against ourselves.

Autistic California Man Puts Knowledge of Sports to Use as San Pedro High School Announcer

Jamaal Street delivers
play-by-play for San Pedro
High School.

LOS ANGELES -- When Jamaal Street was diagnosed with autism as a toddler, the news dealt an emotional blow to his mother.
"There were a lot of tears, a lot of tears, but we prayed a lot," Street's mother Lydia Haley told CBS Los Angeles. "My faith is in God. We prayed a lot once we found out."
But Haley refused to allow the diagnosis to negatively impact her son's future. Today, Street, now 33, is putting his distinctive voice and encyclopedic knowledge of sports to good use as an announcer for games at San Pedro High School in Los Angeles.

High School Football Player with Down Syndrome Kicked Off Team

HOBBTON, N.C. –- The North Carolina High School Athletic Association (NCHSAA) was taking heat Wednesday for barring a 19-year-old student with Down syndrome from suiting up with his beloved football team due to the association's age restrictions.

Brett Bowden, a junior at Hobbton High School in Newton Grove, N.C., has spent the last two seasons donning pads for the Wildcats, but the NCHSAA has said Bowden can no longer participate in practices or games as a member of the team.

"Brett don't see that he has Down syndrome," Bowden's mother, Pat Bowden, told WWAY-TV. "Brett wants just to be one of those guys, out there dressed, thinking that he is a football player, feeling like he's a football player."

Children with Down Syndrome Find Balance at Camp

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Worthington Kilbourne High School students attended school an extra week to run alongside bicycles and lend a steady hand to help disabled students "lose the training wheels."

"It was incredible to witness the immense patience, understanding and love between the campers and volunteers," said Assistant Principal Kevin Johnson. "It was a tremendous example of our extended community coming together to help each other."

Baseball Team for Children with Developmental Disabilitites Celebrates Season

BRAINTREE, Mass. - Nine years ago, Richie Fennell was playing baseball in Norwood with other children with developmental disabilities and looking for a league closer to his hometown of Weymouth.

So Richie and his mother Laurie, along with other volunteers, created Challenger Baseball in Braintree, which has grown from just a handful of teams and players to more than 120 kids and 10 squads over the past eight years. On Sunday night, all 10 took to Hollingsworth Park to play their final games of the season and take home trophies.

Richie, who has autism, is now 18 years old, a first-year Challenger coach and a high school graduate, planning to attend Cape Cod Community College in the fall with a focus on environmental studies.

"We have come a long way from two teams," he said before the final game on Sunday.

After playing in the league since it began, Richie said he wanted to contribute his knowledge of the game to younger players, and will likely coach at least one more season with the Dodgers.

"They have a blast," he said. "It's good to watch."

Athletes Head to Special Olympics World Games

SEATTLE- Please forgive John Borgognoni if he and his group don't stay until the end of the Mariners game Friday night.

They've got to hop out of bed at 3 a.m. sharp Saturday to head out on the journey of a lifetime.

Nine Washington state athletes will be on their way to Athens, Greece, to compete as part of Team USA in the 2011 Special Olympics World Games.

The event, for athletes with intellectual disabilities, is expected to draw 7,500 entrants from 185 countries, including more than 400 from the U.S.

Washington's contingent, ranging in age from 20 to 45, includes two bowlers, two power lifters, two cyclists, a golfer, a runner and a swimmer.

Although five have competed in previous World Games, this will be the first time the event has been held in Greece, birthplace of the Olympics.

Special needs student makes the basket: Chicago student provides inspiration to teammates

There were 65 seconds left in the final home game when Jesse Feehan stepped onto the court for the first time in his three years as a member of the Wheaton North High School basketball team.
What happened next can only be explained as karmic.

Camp for Kids With Autism Offers Extreme Therapy

Tremendous job by John Donvan of ABC News for his incredible story about an extreme sports camp for children on the spectrum.

Consider what it does to the senses when you're in a kayak on the Colorado River and you hit white water. You can't hear anything but the water. There's spray in your face. Violent drops. Wicked turns. And fear -- moments when the river seems to be in control, not you. In short, it's total sensory overload, a total adrenaline rush.
But if you have autism -- like most kids at the Extreme Sports Camp near Aspen, Colo. -- it's overload times 20, or times 100. And that's the point: to take kids to their limits, and beyond.