Manchester United legend Paul Scholes reveals he quit pundit role for non-verbal autistic son

Manchester United legend Paul Scholes has revealed he quit his TNT Sports punditry role to dedicate more time to caring for his non-verbal autistic son, Aiden. The 49-year-old football icon, who has since become a regular face on The Overlaps Stick to Football podcast, said his decision was driven by Aidens strict daily routine and the need to prioritise his well-being. Scholes explained that he now takes care of Aiden, 20, three nights a week and has reorganised all his work commitments around his sons schedule.  I made a decision this year because of Aiden, obviously due to his special needs, Scholes said on Stick to Football. All the work I do now is just around his routines because he has quite a strict routine every single day. I just decided everything Im going to do is around Aiden. The former midfielder revealed that his previous Thursday night coverage of Manchester Uniteds Europa League games for TNT Sports had become disruptive to Aidens routine, leaving him agitated, biting, and scratching whenever his father was away. Last season on Thursday nights Id do the Europa League for Man Utd thats the night Id usually have him, he said. He knows the patterns not there straight away. I did that for years, always thinking Ive got to stop this at some point, so I had the chance to do the podcast and thought that would suit me more well not me, Aiden.  Scholes shares three children Arron (25), Alicia (23), and Aiden with his ex-wife Claire, and has been open about the challenges of raising a child with autism. In a 2021 BBC documentary hosted by Paddy McGuinness, Scholes spoke candidly about his early struggles to accept Aidens diagnosis, admitting he once hoped his son would grow out of it. For those first few years after being diagnosed you think hes just delayed, eventually hell start talking, Scholes said. When you get to 12, 13, 14 now hes 16, its never going to happen. Hes never going to be neurotypical, but hes great and you have to accept it.  He also shared that Aidens diagnosis deeply affected his performances on the pitch, recalling one match against Derby County where he couldnt focus after learning the news. We got the diagnosis. We were playing Derby away. I was terrible, absolutely shocking. I didnt want to be there. My head was gone. Paul Scholes emotional revelation has earned widespread praise, with fans and colleagues commending him for choosing family over fame and for bringing visibility to the realities of parenting a child with autism.The post Manchester United legend Paul Scholes reveals he quit pundit role for non-verbal autistic son appeared first on Linda Ikeji Blog.