The Lodi News of Lodi CA reports on a new tee ball league that was just started by resident Jojo Duenas. Jojo has been a high school coach for 16 years but now is dad to a 3 year old with Autism. He wanted his son to enjoy sports but was nervous about putting him on a team. “The reservations creep in your brain. Does the coach know what autism is? Is it too much for the players? Are they going to get bullied?”
Jojo thought well "I can coach a tee ball team for autistic kids". With that in mind he posted an interest form on Facebook looking for 11 other autistic children in Lodi who would like to play T Ball. 4 days later he had 61 signed up. “I didn’t know how big this thing would get, but I just realized, if it’s growing this fast … we needed it in our community”. So it's moved from a team to a league.
Lodi is a small town of 65,000 people but like so much of America parents are discovering at record rates that their children are autistic. Especially boys who are now 1 out of every 20 is autistic according to Health & Human Services. The worst state for autism is now CA where 1 in 12 is born with it.
Jojo is working with parents, therapists, and educators to design uniforms, equipment, and rules suited to each child’s needs. The team, called the Lodi T. Rexes, uses cotton uniforms, foam bats, wiffle balls, and silent claps to reduce sensory stress. High school volunteers help the young athletes learn social skills and teamwork through fun and inclusive activities rather than competition.
The project has received overwhelming community support, including donations of uniforms, equipment, and funding through a crowdfund. Duenas says the joy of seeing parents and children smile is what drives him to continue expanding the program. The first season starts later this month and the coach is already looking to bring similar programs to other Northern California cities while honoring the inspiration behind it all, his son Niko.