Boy with autism scores basket for Jefferson Middle School basketball

Tricia Martinez was in tears.

Alex Martinez was confused.

“What’s wrong mom? We’re doing great,” he said before wiping the tears from her face.

Alex didn’t realize his mother was shedding tears of joy over the basket he had just scored for the Jefferson Middle School boys basketball team.

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Tricia could not contain her emotions following the show of sportsmanship that led to the basket and the excitement of the crowd.

Alex has struggled with certain motor skills and socializing throughout his life due to Autism-Spectrum Disorder.

The tools that come easy to others are difficult for Alex due to his condition.

“A lot of the skills we take for granted every day, people with (ASD) have to work at to develop,” Alex’s teacher Teresa Gratowski said.

Scoring a basket in a basketball game might be something that some kids take for granted. Despite his hurdles; it’s a feat that Alex can now say he’s done.

The coaches and players from both teams combined to make sure that the final game Alex’s eighth-grade season was memorable.

During a recent game against Wagar Middle School, Alex sank a bucket to give the Bears a 2-0 lead at the start of the game.

It was a play the two coaches had scripted before the game. Wagar responded with an uncontested basket moments later.

“The fact these kids set aside the competitive part of the game for a moment so that Alex could succeed was just so incredibly special,” Gratowski said.

Tricia Martinez’s tears were caused by more than just the joy of watching her son’s athletic accomplishment, but also the gratitude she felt toward the work of so many in the school district.

In her 28th year of teaching, Martinez was frustrated in the past with how other school districts handled Alex in their special needs programs.

“Other programs would separate him – Jefferson did not,” she said. “He didn’t need to be secluded, but included. That doesn’t always happen in other districts.”

Basketball started off as way to expend extra energy, with Alex shooting hoops at home and working on different parts of his game during gym class.

With the help of basketball coach Kevin Carter, Alex was able to get the team experience.

For one-hour of the team’s two-hour practices, Alex would join the team and practice with the rest of his classmates.

“A wonderful kid who helped us throughout the basketball season, his dedication as a person made him a wonderful addition to our program that is constantly growing,” Carter said.

Alex’s progress is a product of the district's Local Based Education (LBSE) program.

LBSE offers a smaller classroom setting as a way to get special education students prepared to enter general education courses – which is a crucial part of their approach.

“It’s so important for them to socialize and interact because after school they’re going into the real world,” Gratowski said.

The basketball season is over, but more sports are still on the horizon for Alex this spring – he also runs the 70-meter and 100-meter dashes for the track and field team.

“He’s a pretty fast guy,” Tricia said.

This article originally appeared on The Monroe News: Boy with autism scores basket for Jefferson Middle School basketball