Surfer Boy with Autism

Change is usually very difficult for those on the autism spectrum.  Which is why 11 year old Shea Edmondson-Wood, a boy diagno"sed with Aspergers Syndrome, did not respond well to his new home in Florida...at least at first. Shea experienced sensory difficulties from walking on grass, among other things, but his parents noticed that he did like going to the beach to watch the surfers.  When his parents heard about inclusion surfing lessons being offered in their area for children on the autism spectrum, they enrolled Shea, not knowing what to expect.  To their surprise, Shea experienced immediate improvement while attending Surfers for Autism under the guidance of the inclusion class instructors.

During one of his first surfing lesson with Surfing for Autism, Shea loses his balance and falls off the board, disappearing under the water.  When he emerged, Shea's parents thought that was the end of surfing.  They thought that Shea would reject this new interest.  They could not have been more surprised when Shea surfaced, screaming in excitement.

Through exploring the passion of surfing, Shea began to improve in other areas of his life as well.  It lead to what his parents can only call a "transformation."  Shea now dons a blue mo-hawk and even is brave enough to "hang ten."

To read more about Shea, the surfer with autism, click on the links below:

http://www.weartv.com/news/features/top-stories/stories/surfing-turns-fla-autistic-child-into-rock-star-35143.shtml

Shea's parents, who call Shea the "Puzzled Surfer" have also started a website to celebrate Shea's interest:

http://puzzledsurfer.com/