Why autism chose me

If you have known me for any length of time you know that most of my life lessons come in the form of an 11-year-old boy with autism. Last weekend's lesson was about living in the details.



Eric was doing such a good job of passing the ball at soccer practice on Saturday that one of the fathers suggested he work on stopping the ball under his foot before kicking it. The request seemed simple enough, so i told Eric "Put your foot on the ball to stop it."
He looked at me like i was speaking Chinese (not an uncommon look from him) and then propped his heel up on the stationary soccer ball.
Well he almost got it. So i tell him "No, no, like this." and place the sole of my shoe on top of the ball. He immediately places his foot next to mine and i squeal with excitement that he mastered this skill so quickly.
"Now kick the ball back to Richard." I tell him.
He looks confused for a second and then, without ever taking his foot off the top of the ball, pushes it toward his partner.
So we tried again.
"Put your foot back on the ball. Good job! Now take your foot off the ball. Excellent! Now kick the ball to Richard."
When he kicked the ball sideways and nearly fell down, i realized that while he took his foot off the ball (just like i asked), he didn't actually put his foot back on the ground to support his weight and had been balancing on one foot.
We went through the entire drill again and when i told him to take his foot off the ball, i emphasized putting his foot back on the ground and standing on it. The blank look told me that this wasnt working so i got creative.
"Like this buddy!" and i jumped from foot to foot doing something of a hybrid between Riverdance and a Mexican hat dance. He copied me. Then he kicked the ball perfectly. And he stopped the ball, planted his foot, and kicked it every time after that.
Since saturday i have thought a lot about that interaction and what working with autism means to me. I have always been a very fast-paced person- i walk fast, i talk fast, and i think fast. But living fast doesnt exactly lend itself to being good with details. I like big pictures and outcomes and when i am taking in a panoramic view of the park, Eric is touching and smelling and, yes sometimes tasting, one leaf or one rock. And this is when Eric teaches me the most because sometimes the leaf or rock he chooses is the most beautiful of them all and i would have missed it. And if he kicked the soccer ball like most kids, we would have missed the chance to dance :)