Becky Taylor, an autistic tennis player from the West Midlands, U.K., won the national Necker Cup tournament this past weekend. When you win a place at the Necker Cup, you automatically win a week-long trip to Richard Branson’s Necker Island, which is the site of the most exclusive Pro Am tournament in the world. What makes this so much more special is the fact that it was a mainstream tournament: The mental challenges that Becky faces every day made things 100 times harder as she battled for this well-deserved win.

Becky has been playing tennis for six years, and this was her third year trying for the Cup. She had just missed out on the Finals in the previous two years, but this year she won the regional tournament that took her to the next step in London. Becky got through the qualifying stage on Saturday and joined 11 other players in the Finals on Sunday. Becky then went on to win the Necker Cup for best female tennis player. She and the male winner would join Richard Branson for the Pro Am tournament on Necker Island.

It’s been a thrilling time for Becky, and she especially appreciates the support given to her by organizers Virgin Active UK and Gary Stewart. However, she’s had to turn down the opportunity to accompany Branson and other tennis pros and legends because of her autism.

“It’s sad because it was the chance of a lifetime, but just going to London to play in the Finals for two days was really hard for me. Staying somewhere different with new people…” Becky explained to AutismAwareness.com. “I have ADHD too, and I think I won’t be able to cope with all of the traveling. So, it’s a bittersweet victory, in a way. I won the prize of a lifetime, but because of my autism, it is not practical for me to go.”

As sad and frustrating as this might be, Becky should be—and is—still proud of her wonderful accomplishment.

“I still won and that can’t be taken away from me.”

(This post was co-written with Becky Taylor.)

Adam Wolfers believes that autism has an impact on his son’s hobby. But he means a positive impact—not a negative one. Because his son Morgan’s hobby is photography, and he’s got quite an eye for it. “He has always noticed stuff that other people didn’t notice,” explained Adam.

Morgan is 10 years old, and was first diagnosed with autism at age 3. Morgan has had a hard time interacting with other people and has had meltdowns through the years. He admits to sitting alone sometimes. But, while his teacher notes that he “operates a little bit differently” than the rest of the kids in his class, she also said that the only difference she sees between him and them is that he “needs that extra clarification of directions.”

He has found that clarity and focus in nature, where he is attracted to the juxtaposition of colors and shapes in the flowers and plants and more.

Morgan not only has an eye for nature photography, he’s also started his own business. At the moment, he pays a local shop owner for display space on her shop’s wall. “I thought it was amazing that somebody so young would even want to start something up,” she said. “He’s one of our top sellers.” Ten percent of his profits go to the Blue Ribbon Arts Initiative, which supports autistic artists.

But he’s not in it for the money, explaining, “I’ve seen a lot of things that amaze me and I just want to share those things with others.”

One of his photos was even picked by National Geographic for display in the home of Vice President Joe Biden. Morgan’s reaction? “I was like, oh my God, I can’t believe it!”

His parents teared up as they recounted what his photography means. “This photography is kind of his saving grace,” explained his father. “Because it gets people to look past [his issues].”

“He’s going to make his way,” his mother Heather said, fighting back tears.

Morgan’s advice to all of us? “Try new things and explore your limits and what you want to do.”

In other words, don’t be afraid to see things differently.

Unfortunately, vehicle fires on the Garden State Parkway aren’t all that rare. Yesterday, however, a small school bus carrying seven children with special needs caught on fire along the major highway. Luckily, a potential disaster was averted thanks to one passenger’s sensory skills.

The bus was on its way home from Mount Carmel Guild Academy in West Orange, N.J., when it first started smoking. Thankfully, 10-year-old Alex Perez, who has autism, noticed the smoke coming out near the bus’s front door. He yelled out for the driver, who pulled the bus over to the side of the road. Everybody onboard was able to get out safely, thanks also to first responders, who were already on the scene. One child was treated for breathing issues, but otherwise, everybody was alright.

Alex told CBS New York that he sat in a police car for about an hour, watching the fire from the fully engulfed bus spread to nearby trees. However, he doesn’t think he’s a hero: “I was like the second hero,” he said. “I was like the sidekick, I guess.”

What we love about this story is not just that Alex saved the day, but that he likely smelled the smoke because of his sensory issues. As his mother, Michelle Perez, said, “He’s high sensory, so he can pick up smells, sounds really quick.”

In other words, Alex’s sensory “disorder” turned out to be a good thing–for him, the bus driver, and six other children. That’s pretty ausome.