BREAKING THROUGH
An autistic boy’s love of hockey was a turning point in his social development
Boy with autism No. 1 fan of Pats
Austin Wagman’s pre-game warmup begins a little over an hour before the puck drops.
Like clockwork, the nine-yearold Regina Pats super fan arrives at the Brandt Centre with his parents in tow just before the doors swing open.
It’s the first step in a ritual that began following his first WHL game at age four — roughly a year after he was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder.
“The game starts at seven and we have to be there when the doors open at six,” says Amy Wagman, Austin’s mother. “We’re there the minute the doors open. He loves to watch warm-ups and he loves dancing. We high-five the Pats downstairs before they go on to the ice. That is the routine for him. That is his happy place.”
The same goes for his proud mom, who watches from the background while Austin interacts with the Pats mascot, K9, and other young fans. She smiles as the players march past and slap hands with her wide-eyed son, who is instantly recognized as one of the team’s most loyal supporters.
“I can’t explain how wonderful it is to have these relationships and these bonds,” Amy says. “I don’t take any of this for granted because we never thought it would happen.”
Amy is hopeful that more kids will benefit from promotions like autism awareness month in April as well as World Autism Awareness Day, which falls on Thursday.
It helps educate people about the unknown — a plight the Wagmans know all too well.
Austin’s parents initially noticed at about 18 months that “something
was different” about their son, who didn’t hit the same verbal milestones of his older sister, Payton.
A nurse recommended that they send Austin to a speech therapist, but it quickly became apparent that his struggles required a different approach.
The next step was to go through the lengthy process of testing for autism. An official diagnosis arrived just before his third birthday.
“At that point he was (still) non-verbal,” Amy says. “We were told he probably wouldn’t attend (a regular) school. He would have to be in a special program. Typically, relationships are really hard. If he were to be verbal, it would be just mimicking what you were saying. He probably wouldn’t carry on conversations or play organized sports or anything like that.”
Austin was enrolled in an autism intervention program shortly after he turned three. It proved to be a “life-changer” during a very stressful and confusing time for the family.
“At that point, he self-harmed,” Amy says. “He would bang his head against the wall or the floor, anything to try to make the frustration in his brain stop. Because he couldn’t speak, he couldn’t tell us what he was thinking or feeling, so that was the only way (to express himself ).
“We couldn’t take him to the grocery store. If we did, it was maybe 10 minutes. My husband has carried him out of every store in north Regina.”
Amy and her husband Matt continued to take their son on errands in hopes that “a loving push” would help him adapt.
Then, out of nowhere, came a stunning breakthrough.
“We’re a hockey family,” Amy says. “My husband played hockey his whole life. We watched NHL on TV and my son Austin just loved it. He would sit and he would get his own hockey helmet and he would get his stick. He loved it.”
Austin’s parents eventually decided to take him to his first Pats game. Not only was it love at first sight, it proved to be a turning point in his social development.
“It was almost like therapy for him,” Amy says. “He sat in the chair and he watched. He watched the whole game. He watched every single thing that the players did. I had never seen anything like it.”
Now five years later, he’s still captivated — not to mention verbose.
“I just like the games,” Austin says. “They’re fun to watch. The music is awesome. And don’t forget the food!”
Yes, Austin is a bit of a character. His enthusiasm for the Pats helped bring out that natural personality while also supplying an outlet to channel his energy.
It has been nothing short of a godsend for Amy, who at one point sent a thank-you email to the Pats “explaining to them that this isn’t just a hockey game for him. This is something that is helping him be social and interacting. At that point, he was very verbal. He now, to this day, doesn’t stop talking,” she says with a laugh.
Along the way, Austin developed personal relationships with some of the players. His favourite is Austin Wagner, who now plays for the Los Angeles Kings.
“I have a few friends that are on the team and I know mostly all the Pats,” Austin Wagman says. “My favourite NHL team is the Kings because I know someone that used to play on the Pats that now plays on the Kings.
“We sound the same. That’s how we became friends because our names sound the same.”
Whatever the motivation, Amy couldn’t be happier.
“These relationships — and I don’t say it lightly — have totally changed his life,” she says. “He has come out of his shell. He attends typical school. He has no outside therapy or programs that he’s in. He is thriving in everything he does. He is playing in his second year of Hockey Regina. He is doing everything that these (autism) professionals said he wouldn’t do.”
In addition to his bond with the Pats players, Austin and his parents have also developed friendships with the team’s staff.
The organization is “like our other family,” says Amy, who was overwhelmed when the team hosted its first Autism Awareness Night on Feb. 21.
The staff even arranged for Austin — unbeknownst to his mother — to drop the puck in a ceremonial pre-game faceoff.
“I was crying a lot during that part,” Amy says with a laugh. “Two years ago, change was really hard for him. You couldn’t go out of routine. You couldn’t surprise him because it would just be a complete meltdown.”
In this case, it was the exact opposite.
“He thought it was the coolest thing that had ever happened to him,” she continues. “He walked around the concourse, ‘Hey, did you see me out there? I was the one who dropped the puck.’
“Typically, people of the autism spectrum are very reserved and they don’t like the spotlight and they’re not social. This just goes to show how far he has come. That’s his element. He wants to shine and he wants to be a star.”
In the Pats’ minds, that’s exactly what he is.
“When you get a chance to hear a story like this, it’s just amazing,” says captain Austin Pratt, who is one of Wagman’s favourite players. “It’s hard to describe how good that makes you feel. It’s really emotional thinking how you can affect someone’s life in such a positive way.”