Jason McElwain, at 17, was manager of his high school’s basketball team. At the final home game, which his team was losing, with 4 minutes to go, he was allowed to play. Here he is being cheered by his teammates and the crowd after he went on to score 20 points and win the game. Jason was diagnosed with autism when he was 2 years old; he didn’t begin speaking until he was 5 years old (Associated Press, 2006). As he grew older, his social skills improved (McElwain & Paisner, 2008).

AP Photo/The Daily Messenger, Eric Sucar