I don't post often but I could truly use some advice. My son is in second grade and plays in an in-town soccer league. Just last week, the league sent out an email stating that there were not enough volunteer coaches and that they may have to eliminate teams if parents didn't start volunteering. Despite that fact that we know nothing about coaching (or playing) soccer, my neighbor and I volunteered to coach since we wanted our sons to play. We received the team roster and set up practices and sent on the game schedule this week.

My neighbor, the head coach, spoke with one of the parents today and she said that her son has autism and that she had requested a coach experienced with autism. She also said that he was high-functioning. Obviously, the spectrum of autism is very broad and without ever meeting this boy, I have no idea what to expect. If he shows up to the first game this weekend without ever attending a practice - what do we do?

This situation seems a little off-the-wall. The league never mentioned to us that we had a player with autism and provided no resources for ensuring that his needs are met. The parent specifically requested that special attention be given to her son's needs, which obviously didn't happen. The mom said that she would be at the games but adults are not allowed on the field and only coaches are allowed around the players. I am worried that we will let this little boy down, but also that we will let the rest of the team down at the same time. (I am worried about letting the team down anyway, since we don't even know the rules of the game. But, hey, we're better than nothing I figure.) We have reached out to the league but haven't heard anything back. Does anyone have any advice?