Eight-year-old boy Kyle Rosenbaum is autistic, and clearly so. With an astounding degree of knowledge and intuition about the game of baseball, a tendency to laser focus on all things related to baseball and a tendency to monologue in a distinctly flat affect about baseball at almost any given opportunity — sometimes to the annoyance of his peers and his family — the rising second-grader is as hyped up for the pennant race as anyone could be.
However, despite a clear indication that baseball is his autistic special interest, the young boy remains undiagnosed. This is thanks in no small part to the fact that the consensus among psychological professionals is that an eight-year-old boy being obsessed with baseball is completely typical.
The Rosenbaums’ therapist added, “It’s not like he’s really into trains or dinosaurs or something.”
The young Rosenbaum taught himself long division at the age of five so he could calculate batting averages, which for some reason did not prompt anyone to think he is perhaps autistic.
“I really like baseball and I really look up to Shohei Ohtani. After all, no one has done what he has done since Babe Ruth over 100 years ago!” said Kyle, referring to the star Los Angeles Dodgers two-way player (the term for a player who regularly both hits and pitches).
Kyle also lamented some pitchers’ tough luck.
“It’s a shame, though. Paul Skenes is barely averaging one earned run per start and he’s not getting any wins!”
Kyle’s dad, Ben, giggles and remains unfazed.
“He’s impressive, isn’t he? Didn’t speak until he was four and then started talking in complete sentences about strikeouts and home runs! Ben said, oblivious.
As the conversation concluded, we noticed that Kyle’s 16-year-old sister, Madison, kept to herself in the corner while doodling in multiple fashion magazines.