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In recognition of Autism Acceptance Month, the entire Los Alamitos girls basketball program listened attentively after their April 1 practice to guest speakers Lainie Kyriakos and James Nakamura talk about understanding autism.
Both speakers have autistic children, and in the 20-minute presentation they emphasized understanding and compassion.
“Our goal was to educate them about this disability, so that they understand what autism is and how it impacts families like mine,” said Kyriakos. We want to bring awareness to the girls, so that they can be compassionate and empathetic towards others.”
Kyriakos noted that the rate of autism is increasing with 1 in 36 children in the United States having autism. She added that boys are nearly 4 times more likely than girls to be diagnosed with autism.
According to the Autism Society website, “Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), is a complex, lifelong developmental condition that typically appears during early childhood and can impact a person’s social skills, communication, relationships, and self-regulation.” The Autism Society notes that the disorder affects people differently and in varying degrees and that other symptoms may include repetitive behaviors, movements, or phrases, non-responsiveness to verbal or visual cues, difficulty expressing emotions, difficulty having a conversation, and avoidance of eye contact. As a result, many autistic people have difficulty forming friendships. There is no known cause of the disorder.
“Regular routines can be very important to autistic people,” said Kyriakos, whose autistic son Chris, 19, graduated from Los Alamitos High in 2024 and is now in the Los Alamitos Adult Transition program. “They thrive on regular routines, so that they know what is next,” she said.
Nakamura’s autistic son Austin, 15, is a sophomore at Los Alamitos High, and Nakamura said that autistic people “experience the world differently from others, but feel happiness and hurt feelings like everyone else.” He said that he and Austin regularly watch the Los Alamitos sports teams together “so he can enjoy being a student at Los Alamitos High.”
“I’m so glad that the players heard this presentation,” said Varsity Head Coach Maya De Anda. “So many of our girls are leaders, and I think that they will help spread empathy and understanding.”
At the end of the presentation, Kyriakos handed out small, heart-shaped pins that appear to be made of multi-colored puzzle pieces, which represent the complexity of the individuals with this disorder and the warm-heartedness needed to accept and understand them.
