Life on the road helped coach’s autistic son
Tracie Johnson and her husband, David, hold hands with their son, Adam.
“Right before Adam turned 2, that’s when we found out he was autistic. There definitely were signs. Because he was our only child, some of the signs I probably didn’t recognize as early as I should have or could have.
“David and I were a little bit older parents, which I think was a blessing as we began raising an autistic child. I don’t know that we really felt equipped. But as we went along, I think we learned what to do.
“Because I was a volleyball coach, Adam traveled a lot. David would take all his vacations to go on the road trips with us. That was probably our biggest challenge when Adam was younger. Being in crowds with loud noises, he didn’t like it. He would scream bloody murder. But as he got older, he got better.
“He may not socialize like others, but he grew to like being around people. I think traveling, going to the games, going to the restaurants with the team and just being around all of that really helped him. His teachers always said that it’s amazing how well he behaves. But he just had to do it. Now his favorite thing is going to restaurants.”
— Tracie Johnson
Tracie was the head volleyball coach at Lee College for 29 seasons, where her teams recorded 652 wins.
Related:
