Trevor is a non-speaking teen who has been working hard to take more risks. Trying new things has been high on his agenda, and this summer he got to experience his first major league baseball game. Check out his story below!
Going to a baseball game is a quintessential boyhood experience. The magic of a ballpark. The laughter of kids. The crack of a bat hitting a ball. Oh, and the endless food options.
To heck with the peanuts and Cracker Jacks. Did you know that you can buy literally anything at Nat’s Park? Burger? Yep. Tacos? Yah. Sushi? Probably. The possibilities are endless. Going to a game can make you broke and fat. Man, I could live in that ballpark.
Going to my first game at age seventeen far outshone my expectations. With new things my family is taking a colossal risk. Will I enjoy it or will my autism cancel out any enjoyment with stims and anxiety? It’s a gamble. Lots of times the autism wins.
Not this time.
This time I win. I am sold on starting to be a baseball fan. I never thought I would care about a team sport; but then again, I never thought I’d be writing a blog, either.
RPM has opened doors for me that seemed permanently closed. Today I can email my teachers. I can joke with my family. I can even tell my mom when the know-it-all doctor is wrong and needs direct instruction in how to talk to an autistic kid without sounding like a condescending ass.
When mom told me we were going to a baseball game, all I could think about was how happy I am to be able to explain the experience. Whether I loved it or hated it, I can better and more explicitly express the opinions I have always had.
Now that’s a real homerun.
Trevor found his voice on a letterboard about three years ago and has no plans to shut up. Originally published August 2, 2019 on Reach Every Voice blog, reproduced with permission.
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5 Responses
Great article! And by all means Trevor, keep it up!
Trevor . It was so great to read your article . I am so happy to read how much you enjoyed the experience. It kind of made me feel that I was there enjoying it with you . And I am looking forward to your future articles .And hearing about your other experiences ! Love , Aunt Moe & Uncle Jack
Trevor, I am so proud of you and your willingness to try new and risky feeling things. Love you, Grammie
Glad to read this and get link to his blog.
Hi, Trevor. There’s something you should know about MLB and the organisation they support:
Take me out to the ball game
Take me out with the crowd
We help 501s harm Autistics
We don’t care if that makes us seem dicks
Let me root, root, root for eugenics
If you don’t abort it’s a shame
For when Autism $peaks strikes you’re out
At the old ball game
Maybe you should watch Little League and/or Youth League games instead.