Julius English, working with Paloma Hernandez on a playground at the L.A. Speech and Language Therapy Center, says that “you can teach a kid with special needs anything. You just have to figure out how.” Which is where sports can come into play. (Arkasha Stevenson/Los Angeles Times)
Julius English, right, a behaviorist who works with special needs students at L.A. Speech and Language Therapy Center, gets ready to play basketball with former student Xavier Alfonso, a highly functioning autistic person. English believes that sports are a perfect way for kids with special needs to learn how to socialize. (Arkasha Stevenson / Los Angeles Times)
Nixon Toledo, left, is a 17-year-old at Canoga Park High who kept up his grades in school so he would be eligible to play football. (Arkasha Stevenson/Los Angeles Times)
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Nixon Toledo felt he was at a crossroads in life, and it was football that helped keep him on the right track. “I guess you could say football saved me.” (Arkasha Stevenson / Los Angeles Times)
