I know that people are probably sick of seeing this by now

YouTube - Autistic basketball player creates mayhem at game

And I've seen some comments by people on message boards that say things like "So what...it's not like he's blind or has no legs or anything...he's just autistic."

To those people I would just say that this is an incredible achievement by any stretch of the imagination, but especially for an autistic person. Jason McElwain had to not only understand the rules of the game, but recognize and react to the actions of his teammates (something beyond the reach of a lot of autistic people), coordinate his own physical response to the game, ignore the chaos going on around him (an incredible percentage of autistic people are extremely sensitive to their sensory surroundings, and noise and chaos are usually devastating to them), and then PUT ALL OF THAT together to have such an amazing result on the court.

I have two autistic children that I love dearly, and I'm very familiar with the ins and outs of autism. Seeing stories and videos like this not only give me hope and encouragement, but fill me with joy when I hear the excitement in his and his father's voices. I know exactly how his father felt when he saw this, as I feel the same way when I hear my son put two words together or hear that he didn't wet the bed last night, or when he gives me a kiss with no prompting, or when I see my daughter get herself ready for school and then come home and tell me all about it.

Jason deserves all of the praise and attention that he's receiving, and I hope that Jason's parents don't mind if I share a bit in the happiness and pride that they are feeling right now, because it's so wonderful for those of us who struggle with autism every day to see something joyful in it. And big kudos to his coach for supporting him through the years, and allowing him to play.

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