Overlooked Underdogs
By Martha Summa-Chadwick, DMA & Alice Smith
Summary: Written from Trevor Chaplin’s perspective, this article follows a fifth grader recently diagnosed with autism as he discovers an inspiring poem about overlooked underdogs. After returning home to warm cookies and a note from his mother, Trevor reads a poem that encourages those who feel different to believe in their potential. The message resonates deeply, reminding him of his imaginary friend, Albert Einstein, whose own unconventional childhood inspires Trevor to embrace his uniqueness. Reflecting on being teased at school, Trevor finds hope that the qualities that set him apart may also become his greatest strengths, encouraging others on the autism spectrum to believe in themselves.
Note: Trevor Chaplin, a fifth grader who has recently been diagnosed with autism, is the protagonist of a new book called Trevor the Noteable G.O.A.T. This article is written from Trevor’s point of view.
Hi, everyone! It’s me, Trevor Chaplin. When I got home from school today, there was an amazing poem along with a note beside my afternoon snack that Mom left on the kitchen counter. The snack smelled delicious: oatmeal cookies, still warm out of the oven. My basset hound Sig had already made a big pool of slobber under the table smelling them. Thank goodness he hasn’t done that massive head shake of his, so there’s no drool flung up onto the counter. I picked up a cookie and sat down to read Mom’s note. Evidently a friend of hers saw this poem on Facebook on a page called “Alice Smith’s Poetry.” She really, really liked it and sent it to Mom, because she said it reminded her of me.
Mom has been helping me work through what the heck it means that I have been diagnosed as being “on the spectrum.” I figured the poem might have something to do with that. I’m a little nervous about reading something new about it, because when I’m just being myself, all the kids in my class laugh at me. They all think I’m too weird because I love to spin in circles and draw imaginary triangles. Oh, and I used to yell “Skally-ally-ally” a lot when I was feeling cheerful. But they all pointed and laughed at me, and it made me cry. I don’t say Skally much now, because I feel a lot less cheerful.
But I know Mom always wants me to feel good about myself. First, I’ll nibble on a cookie, and then I’ll take a deep breath and read the poem….
OVERLOOKED UNDERDOGS
Underdogs rarely come on the scene
to the sound of trumpets
and banners flying.
They arrive carrying burdens
and old disappointments
with dreams small enough
to fit in their pocket.
But they also carry a stubborn magic
refusing to surrender
their solemn belief
that tomorrow might bend
in a different direction.
They bring to life treasures
that cannot be measured
by rankings or ratings
or constant applause.
And never forget that every winner
once began as an unknown contender.
So welcome the underdogs into the fold
for today’s overlooked may tomorrow astound
if given a place where acceptance is found.
Oh, wow…. reading this gives me hope. It also reminds me of my imaginary best friend, Albert Einstein. Since I don’t have any friends my own age, I kinda made up my own imaginary friend a while back. I’ve always loved Albert Einstein, and so I pretended to have conversations with him. Then he’d show up more and more in my thoughts. He’s a great guy to talk to.
I’ve also read a lot about him. Did you know he didn’t even start to talk until he was three or four years old? His folks thought something might be wrong with him because he wasn’t developing “normally.” Mr. Einstein keeps telling me that the things that make me feel so different from the other kids are also the things that can help make me extraordinary.
I bet all of us who are “on the spectrum” feel overlooked, but we can still do great things. My mom says she doesn’t know anyone else in the world who can do math problems like I can. There are so many of us overlooked underdogs in the world, both the two-legged humankind and the four-legged dog kind. (I bet you can tell that I love dogs!) Maybe we just need to be patient with ourselves and remember that one day it’s gonna be ok, and maybe it will even be great.
I’ll sign off now. I hope everyone enjoys reading this poem as much as I did.
Your friend,
Trevor
To find out more about Trevor, view the book on his website TrevorTheNotableGOAT.com.
To find out more about Alice Smith’s poetry, visit her Facebook page.
Here’s a fun video of the imaginary Mr. Einstein reciting “Overlooked Underdogs”:
About the Authors
Martha Summa-Chadwick, DMA has achieved a national reputation as an educator, presenter, performer, and advocate for the cause of music in therapy. She has performed as piano and harpsichord soloist with orchestras across the country and is the Executive Director of the nonprofit organization Music Therapy Gateway in Communications, Inc. Dr. Summa-Chadwick has established a series of both chamber and solo concerts to help educate diverse audiences in an overview of biomedical music protocols, and how music can be used in collaboration with improved neural learning patterns. She has given three TED talks and is the author of “Trevor the Noteable G.O.A.T.” She is also exploring how biomedical music protocols could be automated into software applications for persons with motor, speech, or cognition challenges.
Alice Smith lives in Chattanooga with her husband Alfred and their dog Willy. Together they have four children and four grandchildren. Alice is an incurable introvert who has found her voice through poetic expression. She has been published in various journals including Ariel’s Dream, The Beautiful Space, and The Rose in the World and is the author of five collections of poetry.