I'm quite sure Stephen will be a highly talented musician!

Autistic boy turns national hero
New York teen scores 20 points in 4 minutes during school game
He's now flooded with Hollywood offers
TNP / March 14, 2006

ALL that Jason McElwain, 17, a New Yorker born with autism, wanted was to play basketball.

Not making it into the school team because of his condition and his height - he is only 1.68m tall - he became the manager of the Greece Athena High School basketball team.

Coach Jim Johnson's way of thanking Jason for the dedication and enthusiasm he brought to his two-year stint on the sidelines was to let him play with the team in the last four minutes of the final year basketball game.

Jason didn't let his coach down. Not only did he shoot hoops, he created a school record - scoring 20 points in four minutes.

His teammates bore him out of the hall in triumph and his story has become the sort of fairy tale that America loves.

Three weeks on from his triumph, Jason has appeared on numerous TV programmes and is being courted by Hollywood, reported US and UK newspapers.

Even White House officials are planning a meeting between him and President George Bush.
Jason has high-functioning autism with a reasonable level of capability. He started speaking only when he turned 4.

Dad David McElwain, 51, said of the night of his son's triumph: 'He was really happy on the way home. He didn't sleep a lot that night.'

Jason's sporting victory might have remained a glorious memory had not his performance been captured on videotape.

By the evening, a clip of Jason in action was on the Net, eventually reaching sports cable network ESPN.

Today, he is a national hero.

Twenty-five film companies and publishers have bombarded him with offers, starting with basketball superhero Earvin 'Magic' Johnson, who instantly saw Oscar potential in the story of a boy who, through courage and determination, beats the odds.

Johnson is now in a bidding war with, among others, Oprah Winfrey.

Tomorrow, when the President Bush makes a trip through upstate New York, he will present an award to the teenager.

CALM AND COLLECTED
What has impressed Jason's friends is how coolly he has taken his overnight success.

Mr Tom Batzold, sports editor of the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, said: 'Jason didn't ask for the publicity. Through it all he has held up under tremendous scrutiny. He's calm and collected. He has handled this like a champ.'

Jason's performance is proof that some autistic children can achieve at a highly capable level.

Bill Krueger, former baseball pitcher, college basketball player and longtime crusader for autism awareness, said: 'Autistic kids find a zone and it's as if nothing else exists beyond it. Their focus can be on baseball statistics, signs on the road or shooting a basketball.'

Jason's next challenge? To graduate.