Twins’ Orlando Hudson advocate for autism
Article featuring current Minnesota Twins second baseman Orlando Hudson originally posted on MLB.com September 5, 2007.
09/05/07 10:00 AM ET
Hudson steps up to plate for autism
Clemente Award nominee visits kids, raises money for cure
By Steve Gilbert / MLB.com
PHOENIX — Orlando Hudson saw firsthand the challenges that autistic children face through his cousin Rashaad Goodson, who was born with the lifelong development disorder, and he’s determined to do all that he can to make a difference.
“I want to make life great for them, too,” said Hudson, who is the D-backs’ nominee for this year’s Roberto Clemente Award. “They’re going through some struggles and some battles.”
The Roberto Clemente Award recognizes the player who best exemplifies the game of baseball, sportsmanship, community involvement and the individual’s contribution to his team. It is named in honor of the former Pirates outfielder whose spirit and goodwill will always be remembered. Clemente died in a plane crash while attempting to transport relief supplies to earthquake-stricken Nicaragua on Dec. 31, 1972. The winner will be announced during the World Series.
“Orlando Hudson deserves this recognition and is a terrific representative of the organization,” said D-backs team president Derrick Hall. “He understands his role and responsibility within the community, and he remains focused on positively impacting the lives of children throughout our state. He is a true role model who sets the table and the example for a group of players who are part of an organization that is extremely community-minded.”
Hudson began working with autistic children long before he set foot on a professional baseball field. While in junior high and high school, he would visit kids with autism in classrooms, and the experience made him yearn to do more.
“That’s what I’ve always wanted to do. I’ve wanted to work with kids,” Hudson said. “Those kids sometimes get looked over and looked past. They go to school and a lot of times the schools don’t spend enough time with them, and their parents have to teach them what they’re not learning at school. So I just try to give them another life, get them out to baseball games, spend some time with them and raise as much money as I can so that one day we can find a cure.”
Hudson has teamed with the Phoenix-based Southwest Autism Research & Resource Center (SARRC) since his arrival in the Valley prior to the 2006 season. SARRC is dedicated to research, education and providing resources for individuals with autism spectrum disorders and their familes.
Hudson hosts families at the ballpark and visits SARRC’s campus for Exceptional Children, while also helping to raise funds for research and programs at SARRC.
“It makes my day to see that they’re happy,” Hudson said of meeting with the children and their families. “I’ve heard that it makes their day, but really it makes my day when they’re happy. It’s definitely a blessing for me to be able to do that.”
Hudson arranges for families to attend monthly “game nights,” where he provides them with a private luxury suite and hosts a meet-and-greet session with the children before each game. It’s often the first time these kids have gotten to attend a game because of the difficulty parents have managing their children’s special needs in a loud stadium setting. By providing them with a luxury suite, the kids are able to enjoy the game without being subject to the sensory overload of noise and crowds.
Last November, Hudson served as honorary chairman of the inaugural Walk Now Arizona fundraiser benefiting SARRC and Cure Autism Now. In part because of his efforts to rally support for the event, it was the most successful inaugural Walk Now in the United States, with fundraising totals climbing to more than $370,000.
During the offseason, Hudson spends much of his free time visiting kids with autism in his native Darlington, S.C. In 2006, Hudson spoke to government officials in South Carolina about the segregation of children affected by autism from their peers in public schools, and he is currently forming his own foundation to help raise money to build a community school in his hometown that is modeled after SARRC.
“I’ve truly been blessed,” Hudson said, “and I want to do all I can to help others.”
Steve Gilbert is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
Welcome to Autism Sports!
Welcome to my Autism Sports Blog. I started this site to promote the inspirational sports-related stories about autistic people.
I have an autistic son (age 12) who loves sports but is limited in his access to sports due to his Asperger’s Syndrome autism. He participates in a bowling league but longs to play football and baseball like the other kids.
I chose to join my passion for sports with a desire to promote autistic-friendly sports, share inspirational sports stories about autistic people, and possibly inspire people to get involved with sports by sharing heartwarming stories.
If you have an inspirational sports story of someone with autism, please submit to me here at: autismsports@gmail.com for consideration. Pictures and videos are welcome. Even if you just have a tip about unique/inspirational story, I will be more than happy to write the story myself.
~ B. Swenson
Autistic Teen Picks First Two NCAA Rounds Perfectly | NBC Chicago
Alex Hermann, an autistic teenager from the Chicago area, performed a feat unimaginable to most; he predicted all 48 games of the first two rounds of the 2010 NCAA Men’s basketball tournament correctly. Though his streak ended when Butler defeated Purdue, he still managed to accurately predict 51 of the first 52 games. Unfortunately his bracket featured Purdue winning the championship. To his credit, Purdue lost its star player right before the tournament began, which could have distorted his calculations a bit.
Autistic Teen Picks First Two NCAA Rounds Perfectly | NBC Chicago.
via Autistic Teen Picks First Two NCAA Rounds Perfectly | NBC Chicago.
Jason McElwain inspired a nation, this blog
Jason McElwain, from the Rochester, N.Y., area inspired a nation back in 2006 with a night to remember when he made an appearance for his high school, Greece Athena High School, basketball team.
This one night brought tremendous awareness to the lives and abilities of highly functional autistic children. It is people like Jason McElwain who inspired this blog.
Great sports feats inspire people, and this also added a heavy dose of education and awareness on top of that inspiration.
If you have an inspirational sports-related story about a person with autism, please submit it to me at autismsports@gmail.com.
Autistic teen’s inspiring year – TODAY Health.
Autistic basketball sensation’s inspiring year
Jason McElwain, 18, discusses how one night transformed his life
A year to the day after he stunned everyone by coming off the bench to score 20 points in four minutes in a high-school basketball game, autistic teen-ager Jason McElwain says he hopes his story is still inspiring others to set goals and achieve their dreams.
“What more can you want?” the 18-year-old Rochester, N.Y.-area boy said in an interview on TODAY Thursday morning, as he recounted his year in the spotlight, which included a meeting with President Bush. “My life has changed from going to just an ordinary kid with autism to someone who is a hero.”
Jason, then 17, was thrust into the spotlight when Greece Athena High School basketball coach Jim Johnson decided to send him onto the floor for a little play in the team’s final regular season game against Spencerport on Feb. 16, 2006. Jason had never made the team but stayed on as team manager, and Coach Johnson thought a little playing time would be a fitting show of gratitude for his dedication.
Jason set the crowd into a frenzy when, after missing his first shot, he sank six three-pointers and a jump shot in the final four minutes. His achievement, captured on videotape, made him a national sensation.
Jason, known as “J-Mac” to friends in his upstate New York suburb, made appearances at the ESPY awards, the NCAA Final Four and the NBA finals. In addition to the president, he got to meet Oprah Winfrey, Peyton Manning and Jessica Simpson.
Letters still pour in from all over the world. People with autism write to thank Jason for serving as a beacon of hope for others.
“Can you look back at all and tell me what is has been like, Jason, to live in your shoes?” TODAY’s Matt Lauer asked.
“It’s been fun and amazing,” said Jason.
Still playing basketball
In addition to his part-time job at a supermarket, Jason still plays in nightly pickup games at the “Y,” but admits he has never been able to repeat the feat that got his name in newspapers and magazines from coast to coast.
“When you play with your buddies, do they kind of expect you to make every single shot?” Lauer asked.
“The expectations are really high, but not exactly,” Jason said, laughing.
His parents, David and Debbie McElwain, who appeared on TODAY with Jason and his older brother Josh, said they still can’t believe all of the attention Jason’s performance has received.
“After that game when he scored 20 points, I thought, ‘Gee, his name might be in the paper,’ ” David McElwain said.
Now there are even discussions about turning his life story into a book and movie. (Jason said that he thought Matthew McConaughey should portray him on film.)
‘On a roll’
Debbie McElwain admitted that Jason sometimes can get “cocky” about his fame, but she and Josh bring him back down to Earth. She said she hopes Jason’s story will encourage other families with autistic children to identify the symptoms early and get treatments designed to foster communication skills before it is too late.
Jason’s been on a roll ever since the big game, which his team won.
“I just hope more people are aware of autism, the disease autism,” he said, “and that people know more about it and get the treatment they need with their children, early in life like my loving mother [did].”
Marked primarily by impaired social interaction and diminished communication skills, autism is a developmental disability believed to be caused by both genetic and environmental factors. Last week, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control issued a report estimating that one in 150 c
hildren born in this country are autistic — much more prevalent than previously thought.
— John Springer, contributor for TODAY
Autism Sports Blog 