Excerpt: Ernest will let everyone pass him on the ski hill. How to send him for the competition if he is so gentlemanly?

He does not know the significant of gold, silver or bronze medal and we never bother to explain to him. All that he cares is having fun to do sports. However, we mentioned the elephant came in 4th, the elephant is a HERO. We did role play and simulate a race with stuff toy. The only instruction we gave is “GO INFRONT and ski very very fast.” Our instructions are always short, concise. Too much words just lose them, less is more for Autistic brain!

Training the Snow Leopard

Ernest began skiing at the age of 24. Starting at such a late age, he was very blessed to have very caring and patient ski coaches who taught him how to ski. They taught him how to compete and sent him to provincial and national competitions. With their guidance, he qualified for a spot on the national team for Austria. His coachable and trusting nature, spiced with his enthusiasm towards learning, makes him a lovable athlete to train.

In the winter of 2016, he won a gold and a silver at the national competition in Corner Brook, Newfoundland. To our amazement, that qualified him for a spot in Team Canada at the 2017 Special Olympics World Winter Games!

Recalling his initial competition training, the head coach, Helen, gave me some interesting feedback: Ernest is a real gentleman. He would always let any skier pass him. In Ernest’s simple and beautiful world, he had no idea that he must overtake or pass his opponent in a race to gain a better result standing. All that he cares is participation. “Just try my best.” And results? “What results?” So, now we had a challenge before us: how could we teach him to race forward and not let anyone pass him on the ski trail when he doesn’t understand the word ‘pass’?

The word ‘pass’ is a very abstract word for the autistic brain and for me, to some extent, as English is my second language. When I type the word ‘pass’ into a dictionary search, the synonyms given are: run, give, move, reach, cross, leave, catch, go, develop, happen, occur, fly, fare, wend, depart, proceed, glide, repair… among others. So, which ‘pass’ is the right one or applicable to Ernest’s case?

Some simple terminology just doesn’t make sense. When I asked my friend, “Do you want your dinner?”, and they reply, “I am good”. What does that mean? Good for the dinner or no thanks? It took me years to realize that ‘I am good’ means, ‘No, thank you.’ Many words are ambiguous. Very tough for our simple brains. Let alone someone with autism. It is no wonder that Ernest might have my trait of not getting simple points or understanding simple words. As his mom, I knew he takes thing literally, just like me, to some extent. Life would be so much easier if ‘yes’ was yes and ‘no’ was no.  Simple illustrations and one- or two-word instructions are all that is needed. Too many words will lose him or overwhelm him. I knew I would have to use simple terms and concrete examples.

The term that came to my mind immediately was ‘in front’. Now, I would have to try to explain ‘in front’ simply and concretely for him to visualize and internalize. I lined up four of his favorite stuffed toys, Elephant, Elmo, Moose, and Snow Leopard, for a pretend ski race. The last one furthest away from me, at my fingertips, was the snow leopard. During the race, his name was Ernest. With my elbow as the pivot point placed below the stuffed toys, I gave the command: “Take your mark!”  It was so natural for Ernest to say, “GO!” as he has been to many races. As my arm swung in the forward motion with the stuffed toys, Snow Leopard, being at my fingertips, was leading, follow by Moose, Elmo, and, finally, the Elephant. I told Ernest, “See the snow leopard is in front – gold medal. Moose is silver. Elmo is bronze, and Elephant is a hero.” My clear instruction was, “Ernest, when you are racing, you have to go in front, in front.” All he understood was that in a race, he must go IN FRONT. With this concept in mind, he now focuses on trying his best and going in front. He knows he will be praised and encouraged regardless of the result. No matter what sports race he is participating in, I don’t think Ernest can comprehend the words ‘win’ or ‘winning.’ He just wants to be included and participate. That is why he always has that big smile in races. What will be will be.

Does Ernest really understand the value of gold, silver and bronze? Probably not. I seriously don’t think he cares or understands, but I could be wrong. Who knows how his brain works? Most importantly, he understands that no medal is ok, and that Elephant in last position, with no medal, is a hero. What is a hero to him? Maybe another participant of an event or amazing name given to someone for participating?

Every night, we would pray, “God, please help me to ski like a snow leopard. Help me to ski very, very fast. In Jesus’s name, I pray. Amen.” Those were our last words each day for months leading up to the World Winter Games in Austria. Little did I realize those words would come in handy for Ernest down the road.