Winning Doesn’t Come Easy

It's no secret to those who work with Hudson that he wants to be the best at what he does. Competition is one of his worst triggers, and it's one that we've struggled with the most the past few years.

Winning doesn't come easy for him.

We were told early on in his diagnosis that Hudson would likely always have low muscle tone, low core strength, and that he would struggle with coordination.

Being a gifted athlete isn't something that will come easy for Hudson (if at all).

Children with autism often have delayed motor skills and require OT to help them with things that neurotypical people take for granted. Things like writing, coloring, or even gripping a pencil don't come easy for Hudson.

Earlier this month, Hudson went to a children's Christmas party that some local businesses put together. There was a gingerbread house coloring contest going on where kids could enter to win some great prizes. Hudson and Finn both jumped at the chance to color their sheets and enter the contest.

Contests and competitions are very challenging for Hudson. Especially when winning them doesn't come easy.

Hudson's love of drawing began about two years ago. He started drawing random dinosaurs and Godzilla monsters at home, and drawing quickly became an escape for him in school when he needed it. We started buying empty notebooks for him to doodle on. His drawings were often wire sketches done in crayon or ink, with no color detail. But they were all special to him, and to us.

Each night we let Hudson choose the books that we read before bedtime. And for the longest time, he chose a National Geographic Kids Magazine. The last pages contained drawings that children had submitted for publication. He would see those drawings and immediately ask us to send in his work to be published. I dreaded the nights where he'd ask that; not because I wasn't proud of his work, but because I knew that the magazine wouldn't understand his drawings, and that they'd likely never select them to be printed. They simply wouldn't know him or how special he is.

Within the past year, we've seen massive improvements in his art work. The wire frame drawings began to take on colors that slowly began to stay within the lines. His art assignments at school became more vibrant and impressive.

The boys finished their entries in the contest and soon returned home. Knowing how difficult winning a competition can be, Kayla and I started thinking about how to handle whatever disappointed outbursts might come. Hudson wants to win at everything and struggles when he doesn't.

The next day, the local business announced the winners of the contest on Facebook. We showed Hudson the results right away. Finnley's name appeared at the top of the list, and Hudson immediately became dejected.

And then we asked him to keep reading the names.

Towards the bottom of the list, "Hudson K" appeared. And when we explained to him that he had won, his face lit up with the biggest smile.

Winning doesn't come easy for Hudson, at least not on paper. We teared up when we read his name and saw his reaction.

We know he's already had countless victories that he's unaware of himself, but it felt really great to celebrate his winning a competition against his neurotypical peers.