5 Father's Day Lessons for Every Parent from an Autism Dad

When I think about the great fathers that I know, Coach Mike McQuay is right there at the top of the list. I've had the privilege of closely observing Coach Mike for a few years now because he volunteers as a coach for the Jersey Hammerheads, the competitive swim team of teens on the autism spectrum that is the subject of my feature documentary film, "Swim Team."

Coach Mike happens to be the father of one of the team’s athletes, Mike McQuay, Jr. (Mikey), but the whole team benefits from his nurturing style and high expectations. Seeing him in action, it’s no surprise that Coach Mike guided his swimmers to successfully dominate the competition at the state and national level Special Olympics events documented in “Swim Team.”

Here are my top five favorite quotes of Coach Mike's from "Swim Team" that embody his winning approach to fatherhood:

1. "You have to have patience."

Coach Mike demonstrates enormous flexibility in trying different techniques to train the diverse group of 17 kids on his swim team. Each child is different in the water; some can't swim at all at the start of the season and a few have multiple disabilities.

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To finish reading the full story, visit the Huffington Post: Parents website: http://bit.ly/2st5YPV.