Cal is a 14-year-old boy who has autism. What is autism? I’m so glad you asked, because many people completely misunderstand it. Autism is a disorder of brain development characterized by difficulties in social interaction, verbal and non-verbal communication, and behaviors, as well as difficulties in motor coordination and attention. It is now diagnosed in 1 out of every 68 American children, which is a 30 percent increase from just two years ago. It is important to understand that autism is a neurological disorder, and that anyone with autism is not defined by their disability. Therefore people have autism; they are not autistic. Every individual is unique and there is no known cause. Autism affects many aspects of daily life, and it is also so important to be considerate of that.

So let’s go back to Cal. Cal was diagnosed when he was about three years old, and was non-verbal for a very long time. He would communicate by pointing and screaming, and his mother would push him to use his words, not his finger. He would go endless nights without sleeping, and would just cry for no reason. As he got older, he began using his words more and crying less, but he still had a strong dependency on his parents and wasn’t super talkative. He was fortunate enough to have a strong support system help him as he went through school and therapy sessions. Through speech sessions and occupational therapy he was able to communicate better. By the time he reached seventh grade, he began to find more self-confidence and grow to be more talkative.

All the kids in school loved him. Cal was so genuine and so friendly. If he knew you he would say hello and he often times had a smile on his face as he walked through the hallways. However, he saw all the other kids at school interacting with each other and hanging out after school, when Cal would just get on the bus and head home to engross himself in the world of music (which was where he was able to calm his anxieties). Cal wanted to be like the other kids, being a part of the school and the after-school environment. And that was how Cal found running.

You see, Cal had legs that stretched for miles they were so long. And Cal was strong, incredibly strong. His family encouraged him to give cross country running a shot, and he did. He was nervous though, because his mother couldn’t be there with him the first day, and Cal was being pretty independent by staying after school and going to practice on his own. Even though he had people looking out for him, he was still nervous. He had never run before, and didn’t want to be embarrassed by the other kids. The first day was pretty hard for him, even the first few days. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to continue because he didn’t quite feel like he fit in. Cal began to feel different, and not in a good way.

Except, when Cal had his first meet, everything seemed to change. For his first meet, he was at the park across the street from where they had practiced at so often, so he felt pretty comfortable. And his mom and dad and siblings and friends from class all came to support him. The best part of the whole meet was that his teammates all cheered for him, too. The girls especially: they cheered so loud that Cal started to feel confident in himself; "Look at this, everyone is cheering for me." So Cal ran faster and faster until his long legs couldn’t move any faster. He had a look of determination in his eyes, he was so focused on the finish line and passing as many people as he could. Nothing could get in Cal’s way. As he approached the finish line his friends and family and everyone else around him continued to cheer louder. When Cal finished, he told his mom how proud he felt of himself.

“Did you see me out there mom? Did you see how fast I went? Did you hear how loud everyone was cheering?”

The best part about the whole thing for Cal is, it happened at every single race. And Cal continued to get better and run faster. Maybe he didn’t finish first at the meets, but he improved in his athletic skill, and his self-confidence went through the roof. His social skills improved. Cal was proud, because he had made such incredible strides in his life during this time.

You see, the thing is, Cal found happiness and calmness through running. It was, and still is, an activity that helps calm Cal down. He looks forward to practice everyday, and seeing his teammates. And when the cross country season is over, he looks forward to the start of track just so he can be around such a supportive group of people again. Over the years of running, there has been such a positive change in Cal. Like I said before, his social skills and self-confidence went on a straight shot up. And this was all because Cal kept running. Cal saw the support and love from people around him, and all of a sudden he began to feel like he was fitting in. The point is, Cal has a disability and he overcame some of the big struggles associated with it. So Cal asks for you to keep cheering him on, keep helping him out. Please keep being understanding of the differences that Cal may face in his daily life. Keep being supportive and caring and loving and keep being the loud and friendly faces that Cal can see throughout the day. Because all of this put together will help continue to contribute to the warm happiness that glows inside Cal’s heart when he wakes up and goes to school each morning. It will keep Cal’s view of himself strong. But most importantly, your open mind and outpouring of love will keep Cal running, and that’s what he truly wants.