Wisconsin teens with autism write a children’s book about basketball

Keira Thompson “loves, loves, loves” basketball. The 15-year-old from Brookfield was launched to the game when she was 10. She loves that there is all the time motion happening within the recreation, she loves her teammates and coaches and he or she loves studying new abilities.

However Keira’s favourite sport hasn’t all the time come simply for her. Keira is on the autism spectrum and in addition has international apraxia, which suggests motor actions are troublesome for her.

“Any kind of bodily motion or new ability has concerned plenty of follow and dedication by Keira,” mentioned Beckie Thompson, Keira’s mother. “I am extremely pleased with what she accomplishes as a result of virtually every thing has been a wrestle.”

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When Keira was 8, her occupational therapist really useful she be a part of Particular Olympics, a company that gives sports activities coaching and competitors alternatives for folks with disabilities. At first, she discovered primary abilities like methods to kick a soccer ball. Finally, she would transfer on to group sports activities. After dismissing sports activities like baseball — she thinks there’s an excessive amount of downtime — Keira discovered “her sport.”

“Keira has a present for basketball, and he or she’s spent plenty of time training and training to be good at it,” mentioned Beckie. ” And it could not have been a greater factor for her when it comes to confidence, socialization and creating management abilities.”

‘Mila and the Too Laborious Hoop’

Basketball additionally taught Keira that arduous work is worth it when the purpose is one thing precious to an individual, and that is a lesson she tapped into when she got down to accomplish her subsequent challenge — writing a youngsters’s ebook.

“Mila and the Too Laborious Hoop” is an image ebook a couple of monster named Mila who — identical to Keira — loves basketball, rainbows and her dragon stuffed animal.

Each day, Mila tries to make a basket in her driveway basketball hoop. She tries standing on a chair, she tries with completely different coloured basketballs (she has one for each colour of the rainbow) and he or she tries after getting coached by her older sister. 

Each day she fails to make a basket, and the web page ends together with her declaration that “Basketball is simply too arduous.” Then she goes to her room to hug her stuffed dragon, who she imagines is encouraging her to attempt once more the subsequent day.

Lastly, Mila decides to attempt 20 occasions to make a basket. When that does not work, she tries 20 occasions the subsequent day. Lastly, she makes a basket. And the story ends with, “Basketball is tough, however it’s not too arduous for me.”

“It was fascinating to me when Keira got here up with these scenes,” mentioned Beckie. “One factor my husband and I’ve mentioned her total life is we by no means count on you to be good, we simply count on you to attempt, and we’re pleased with you for no matter that making an attempt brings when it comes to accomplishments.”

Keira has internalized that message, and he or she mentioned her mother encourages her rather a lot. “Once I cannot do one thing, she tells me to do the perfect I can do,” mentioned Keira.

After Keira took a category about writing a youngsters’s ebook, Beckie inspired her to take her concept to fruition and publish it.

Working collectively throughout COVID

Identical to her expertise with basketball, the book-writing course of turned out to be extra difficult than she anticipated.

“It took a very long time,” mentioned Keira. “I do know to lots of people, six months looks like a short while, however I assumed it might be completed in, like, three weeks, so it appeared actually lengthy.”

Together with her story concept in thoughts, Keira wanted somebody who might draw the images to make her youngsters’s ebook come alive. She had met MiguelAngel Rosales, who additionally has autism, in a graphic design class at Islands of Brilliance, a company that gives project-based studying and mentoring to folks with autism.

When Beckie reached out to MiguelAngel’s mother Talia, she was thrilled with the concept, and the 2 teenagers set to work on their ebook.

“This was throughout COVID, in order that they met over Zoom, after which put collectively a whole ebook by way of e-mail,” mentioned Beckie. “The tendency to focus to the exclusion of every thing else on one factor is usually seen as a unfavourable trait in autism. However they used that to their benefit once they made this ebook. They targeted, bought right down to their process and made it occur. It was unbelievable to look at.” 

Keira would ship MiguelAngel her imaginative and prescient for the subsequent a part of the story each week, and MiguelAngel (who makes use of they/them pronouns) would give their creative enter, and the 2 collaborators wrote and illustrated two pages per week till the story was completed.

At first, Keira and MiguelAngel deliberate to make Mila, the protagonist of the ebook, an animal. However Keira mentioned they could not resolve on an animal in order that they went with a monster as a substitute.

“Up to now, I’ve drawn a lot of pleasant, colourful animals like panthers and lions and llamas,” mentioned MiguelAngel. “However then we got here up with the concept of a colourful monster, and it turned out actually cute.”

Studying to deal with troublesome feelings

The collaboration was a studying expertise for each Keira and MiguelAngel, serving to them to advance their abilities in writing and drawing, but additionally their social abilities.

“I used to be actually excited as a result of it reveals how a lot MiguelAngel has matured,” mentioned Talia. “They would take recommendations from Keira however not take variations of opinion personally as a result of they understood that this was a collaboration. MiguelAngel was very affected person and accepted the suggestions.”

MiguelAngel agreed, noting their professionalism and remembering a “little bump within the highway” when their arduous drive died, however they figured it out and stored engaged on the ebook illustrations.

“You did not quit, identical to Mila!” Talia mentioned to MiguelAngel, laughing.

The ebook challenge helped MiguelAngel as nicely as a result of it allowed them to give attention to artwork, one thing they’ve come to appreciate helps to manage their feelings.

“I have been drawing feelings recently so I haven’t got to make use of my mouth once I’m upset,” mentioned MiguelAngel. “It helps me filter what I do not wish to say. If I’ve a nasty time or I am in a nasty temper, drawing helps me really feel higher. It is like remedy.”

For Keira, basketball does one thing comparable — serving to her to give attention to one thing that is vital to her, even when there are “bumps within the highway.”

“At one among my first basketball video games, my mother invited my bodily therapist to look at the sport, and a boy knocked me over,” Keira remembered.

Beckie mentioned she, her husband and the bodily therapist checked out one another from the gang and thought, “Oh no, this is not going to go nicely.”

“The grown-ups all thought I used to be going to get upset and need to go dwelling as a result of I’ve by no means appreciated to get pushed into,” mentioned Keira. “However I simply bought up and ran to get the ball.”

Keira is aware of these moments of making an attempt to cope with large feelings are relatable to all children, and he or she hopes to publish extra books about Mila, probably specializing in a unique emotion in every ebook.

Keira mentioned she has an concept for a ebook about conquering concern, and he or she thinks she’d name it “Mila and the Too Scary Coaster.”

Beckie thinks dad and mom can use the books to speak to their children about completely different feelings, and to encourage them to speak by way of feelings with trusted grown-ups.

“We inform Keira that any feeling you are having is OK, and if you happen to’re keen to share how you feel, collectively we are able to give you an answer,” mentioned Beckie. “Should you share with somebody you belief, you might have the aid of feeling rather less burdened and there is somebody who cares sufficient about you that will help you cope.”

Keira agrees together with her mother: “I attempt to inform my mother about what I am feeling.” Generally I cry rather a lot, however I inform my mother.”

Contact Amy Schwabe at (262) 875-9488 or amy.schwabe@jrn.com. Comply with her on Twitter at @WisFamilyJS, Instagram at @wisfamilyjs or Fb at WisconsinFamily.