“ON THE SAME TEAM”…FEEL!

Our A-Leaguers are FEELIN IT ! The BUDDIES, The COACHES, The FAMILIES…WE are ALL FEELIN IT ! & What a good feeling IT IS!! It had been so long since I had been in a dugout, I had forgotten! FORGOTTEN?!! How I could have ?!…I’ll never know! Guess all these years in the “trenches” with this SYNDROME! You become a little weary…AUTISM is hard for the individual and even harder for the family! However, a little DUG-OUT “action” is going a LONG WAY toward healing that!

The feelings that go down on a baseball DIAMOND are transformative! Anybody that does’nt believe that…come on down to SAN DIMAS any given SATURDAY and watch the A-LEAGUE!! I firmly believe DUGOUTS are CHARACTER BUILDERS!! The game of baseball takes SUCH TEAMWORK!! As does AUTISM & ASPERGER SYNDROME!!! Our individuals RELY…on networks. NETWORKS of caring individuals…understanding, informed INDIVIDUALS. A Team mentality has always been pervasive ON THE SPECTRUM!

Teams that consist of Parents, Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles and Cousins. Not to mention the real TEAM LEADERS…The SIBLINGS! We are “in the dugout “DAILY!! When we are not in the dugout we are driving to the rest of the team! A vast number of therapists and their appointments, social skills groups, Drs. visits and on and on! You could add as many to the TEAM that you or the state can afford!! The net you cast covers it ALL…or so you think!

NOW, with each and every BASEBALL OUTING…I am seeing something I have not seen before. Autistic kids “lighting-up” over seeing their FRIENDS! This A-LEAGUE is awesome! This…ON THE SAME TEAM “FEEL!” I have no doubts that this will carry over to everyday life. These weekends in the DUGOUT are pointing our kids in the right direction. On the HIGHWAY to FRIENDSHIPS! The feeling that they don’t run those bases alone, their daily struggles are all WORTH IT! As our players round the bases knowing that their team is in the dugout rooting and waiting to SLAP FIVE!

Their THIRD TEAM!!! Not Mom & Dad or their Siblings…Not The Teachers or varied Therapists. Their FRIENDS ,their comrades the ones they are IN THE TRENCHES with! As they navigate their way around Our National Pastime with THEIR TEAM! Building SKILLS, HEART and CHARACTER in The Dugout!