LOS ANGELES — Teoscar Hernandez is wearing his heart on his sleeve – and his hand and his shin, sometimes around his waist, and, soon, his feet.
Hernandez has collected a set of gear – the elbow guard, hand guard and shin guard he wears when batting, a glove he uses when shagging balls during batting practice and a belt – featuring the multicolored puzzle piece logo used by some Autism Awareness groups to symbolize the different way autistic individuals piece the world together. He plans to have customized cleats with the logo ready to wear at some point this season.
“I think that’s the best that I can do to support that and let people know they’re not alone – that we can continue our lives regardless of any family member that has autism,” Hernandez said.
“I want the people to know that if you have someone in your family with autism, they can do whatever they want. They can go to work. They can go to school. They can play sports.”
Hernandez has learned this for himself. The oldest of his three sons, 6-year-old Teo, was diagnosed as being on the autism spectrum four years ago.
According to the charity Autism Speaks, 1 in 31 children in the United States have autism spectrum disorder. The condition is four times more prevalent among boys than girls.
Like millions of parents, Teoscar and his wife, Jessica, began to suspect something was different about Teo when they noticed some common autism signs. He was very sensitive to loud noises and water temperature when bathing. There was a disconnectedness to his eyes at times.
“The noises, that was the biggest one. That and the look,” said Hernandez who first talked about his son’s diagnosis on the AM 570 pregame show. “When you call him, ‘Look this way. We’re going to take a picture.’ The eyes wouldn’t (connect). That’s the two main things that you know and you realize someone is on the spectrum.”
They took Teo to a specialist during Teoscar’s last season in Toronto, 2022. The diagnosis – Teo is on the spectrum at the lowest classification – “wasn’t a surprise,” Teoscar said, “because we kind of knew a little bit that he was going to be like that.”
Still, it can be a difficult diagnosis for parents to accept.
“For me, I believe in God. I don’t want to think that my son is different. But my wife is the one who – she always asks, ‘Why?’” Teoscar said. “My answer is if God gives us a son like that, it’s because he knows we can handle it and we can give him the best life he can get. And that we’re going to be there, no matter how long, it doesn’t matter how hard it’s going to be. I’m going to be a supportive father. My wife is going to be there, I know for sure. We’re going to try to make Teo the best person he can be and the best prepared he can be for life.
“It doesn’t matter how hard you are or how quick you notice that your kid has autism. But for me, I’m a fighter. Things in life for me haven’t come easy. I’m going to keep pushing. I’m going to keep doing what I can to give my son the best life he can have.”
Teoscar sees a positive example every day when he goes to Dodger Stadium. RJ Peete – the son of actress Holly Robinson Peete and former USC and NFL star (now radio talk show host) Rodney Peete – has been a popular member of the Dodgers’ clubhouse staff for 10 years now. He’s a favorite of Dodgers players known for his enthusiastic hugs, positive energy – and ability to memorize everyone’s birthday.
RJ was diagnosed on the autism spectrum as a 3-year-old.
Teoscar and Jessica have participated in some autism events hosted by the Dodgers and met RJ’s mother, an advocate for families dealing with autism and co-founder of the HollyRod Foundation which provides resources and support for families affected by autism and Parkinson’s disease. Holly and Teoscar hosted an inclusive baseball clinic described as “autism friendly” at Dodger Stadium earlier this week (April is Autism Awareness Month).
“They reached out to me because they do something with RJ every year at the stadium. I went to it and we talked about it,” Teoscar said. “I told RJ’s mom that I had a son with autism. She just said, ‘Anything you need. Anything you want to know about it, just come to me.’ She talked to my wife and they’ve been in touch since then. It’s been a help from them. They’ve been going through this longer than us.”
The specialist the Hernandez family has worked with told them not to put Teo in any special programs that would isolate him with other autistic children. So, Teo is in first grade.
“One of the things that one of the specialists told us was never put him around a special group because that’s not good for kids with autism,” Teoscar said. “It’s better to put him around regular kids, regular classes so that he can see how regular people act and talk and react to things. We put him in school in L.A. last year and the change has been really big – really big.”
At first, Teo – who is big for his age – had difficulty controlling his emotions and “because he’s so big and strong, the other kids would end up on the floor, crying and he doesn’t understand why,” Teoscar said.
But Teo has learned to modulate his behavior. The change has been “a blessing,” his father said.
“He’s talking more. He’s communicating more,” Teoscar said. “It’s been a long, long time since the last time he played like that.
“It’s been a blessing. I can’t thank God enough for giving me a kid like that. Because you learn. You learn so much from different things. I guess we used to live normal. Now that we have Teo we have to communicate different so that he can understand, do things different than we used to do. It’s the thinking, the action, the way you say it, the way you do it. It gives you more knowledge as parents.”
UP NEXT
Dodgers (RHP Emmet Sheehan, 2-0, 4.78 ERA) at Cardinals (LHP Matthew Liberatore, 0-1, 4.75), Friday, 5:15 p.m. PT, SportsNet LA, 570 AM
