Meet Aiden, it’s his Dream to take flight with the Atlanta Falcons! Aiden Bailey is a 10-year-old from Winston, Georgia who loves all things football. If it involves football he’s doing it, whether it’s collecting football cards, playing Madden, going to events to meet coaches and players, or playing on his football team. Aiden is going into his second season of playing football, but he spent a year before that just learning the basics of the game with his dad through YouTube videos. Last season he played 99% of the snaps on both sides of the ball and would get upset if he was taken out just to get a drink of water. He has developed a passion for the game and is dedicated to playing. However, for the majority of Aiden’s childhood, his parents were not sure that he would be able to participate in team sports at all.
Aiden was diagnosed with autism, Generalized Anxiety Disorder, and ADHD several years ago. Due to his condition, he has had some difficulties interacting with peers in a group environment at times. School has also been a challenge for Aiden and he attends the Marcus Autism Center in Atlanta 5 days a week. This does not allow him to have the typical day-to-day interaction with his peers in a traditional school setting. However, this all changed when he started playing football. Aiden fits in on the football field and feels like one of the guys. His dad, Adam, shared that Aiden wishes that he could attend school with his teammates, but he works very hard day in and day out despite all that has been thrown his way.
