EJ Clay is about to turn 10. He loves puzzles, bubbles, music, anything outdoors, and most of all, basketball.
EJ Clay loves basketball. People call him Little LeBron, his mom says.
“EJ loves to play basketball,” said his mom, Cecily Shropshire, explaining that he is tall for his age. “They call him the Little LeBron.” He’s also very funny and is often the class clown, she said.
Just two years ago, EJ was mostly nonverbal. “He couldn’t really express what he wanted,” his mom said. He had been diagnosed with autism when he was 21/2, and remained shy and extremely attached to her. When he started attending the afterschool program at the Greensboro office of the Autism Society of North Carolina, he was always saying, “Mommy coming to get me?” “Mommy coming?”
EJ attended ASNC’s summer program as well, and the interaction with the ASNC staff and other children, as well as the structure, made a big difference. “All of a sudden last summer, he just started talking,” Shropshire said. “Now he actually uses full sentences. That kind of shocked everybody there.”
Judy Smithmyer, ASNC Autism Resource Specialist Coordinator, has also supported EJ and his mom. “In the two years since I have known him, he has made such great progress,” Smithmyer said. “He is happy and excited to be at our center and often greets me with a ‘Hi, Judy.’”
EJ also enjoys music.
Smithmyer worked with EJ’s schoolteachers so they would know how best to support him. EJ had been going to a school where they didn’t know how to work with him, his mother said, and they called her at her workplace so often that she lost her job.
Now, EJ is doing great in school. He’s more open and adventurous, and he speaks his mind, his mother said. “It’s been such a change.”
On Sept. 29, hundreds of participants will come out to raise money for the programs that made such a difference for EJ and his mother. The 10th annual Greensboro Run/Walk for Autism at Jaycee Park will include a 5K race, a fun run/walk, music, refreshments, and a resource fair. Participants can register at www.greensbororunwalkforautism.com.
“The Autism Society of North Carolina is a wonderful organization,” Shropshire said. “The people there, they really, truly care.”
Step out to improve lives in the 10th annual Greensboro Run/Walk for Autism on Saturday, Sept. 29! The event at Jaycee Park will include a 5K race and a recreational 1K run/walk. Celebrate autism awareness and acceptance with music, refreshments, and vendor space that will showcase local businesses, service providers, support resources, and sponsors. Proceeds will fund local programs of the Autism Society of North Carolina.
Register today: www.greensbororunwalkforautism.com
Tags: ASNC, autism, autism advocacy, autism communication, autism fundraiser, autism resources, autism society north carolina, autism society of NC, Autism Society of North Carolina, Autism spectrum, Autism Spectrum Disorder, Autism Spectrum Disorders, autism support, greensboro run/walk for autism, Run/Walk for Autism