Anyone tried getting child into sports?

starspangledgirl1 · January 2013

Hi there, Im visiting from the IF board, were trying for another child but I have a 7 yr old son w PDD-NOS...just curious if anyone had tried getting their kids into sports and how it went? DS takes Karate right now which he does great at, but Id like to see him more involved at school sports.

lite-bright · January 2013

My DD1 is five (ASD) has been doing parks & rec soccer for three seasons now and is registered for the spring.

DH coaches; I'm not sure how it would be with a coach who didn't know her & how to deal with her quirks/lack of focus. The expectations are low (three on three, no goalie, no real score-keeping). She does great during practice (which has more structure/is predictable) but often just kind of runs around after the other kids during the game, following rather than actively participating; this is a step up from lying/rolling in the grass. :P She is actually quite good in momentary spurts, makes good runs and occasionally scores, and seems to get it a lot more after three seasons. She definitely had her competitive moments this past season, which was nice to see.

We tried a general sports skills class (again, parks & rec) at three and it was a disaster. She has matured since then, but the environment (mirrored classroom) was terrible for distractions/focus and I've stayed far away from similar situations (like dance).

We were told when she was first dx'd that group sports like soccer would not be suitable -- too many things going on, too many kids, too much going too fast for her to process, etc. We tried it anyway, it has gone reasonably well, and take it on a season-by-season basis as to whether to continue.

She seems to enjoy it, and DH likes coaching, so we're doing it again. I was never a big athletics person and I definitely don't want to push her on that.

CaptainSerious · January 2013

I am an adaptive ski instructor. Many of our clients are children on the spectrum, and they do really well with skiing because, as auntie mentioned, it's mostly an individual sport even though you do it with friends. I have seen so many kids absolutely come out of their shell because they love the speed and adrenaline rush they get from skiing.

Are there any adaptive sports offerings in your area? Generally, adaptive sports will have a much lower student to teacher ratio (we usually have two (sometimes even three or more, depending on the day, situation, and client's needs) instructors to one client in my program) and the instructors have a basic knowledge of various medical/emotional conditions, disabilities, delays, and other special needs that help them to best connect to the client and meet his/her needs.

mopdop2000 · January 2013

I agree with what everyone else has said What sports are you talking about? Team sports?

Sir I is only 4 yet, but he will start skiing next year. We live near Telluride CO and they have a great adaptive ski program, and summer camps too. He currently does gymnastics each week - a private lesson with an incredible coach who loves him and only charges us $42 a month, for weekly lessons!!!

My older son does karate- is quite the little nija - and his sensei is willing to have Sir I take classes when he turns 6, if I'l stay and do it with him He also loves music and tinkering on our keyboard so if I can find a teacher willing to work with him I want him to learn an instrument, if possible.

AgrippaRidesAgain · January 2013

We tried soccer in the fall. I had some hopes for it, as DS is actually remarkably athletic and showed skill and enthusiasm when playing with me or another family member. However, it was definitely a bust. His ability to focus and understand the game was well below that of the other players on the field. He made sure to try to LOOK like he knew what he was doing, so he would run these determined sweeps down the field, completely oblivious to the actual play of the game. He avoided physical contact with other kids and ran in the opposite direction of the ball.

He is better suited to individual sports, or at least non contact sports. He MIGHT get t-ball, but I think we are going to try karate and BMX first. Both are interests of his. We have a track with open practice times, so we can gear him up and let him ride some real hills instead of him trying it out in our neighborhood while dodging trees. I think when he gets over his fear of water in his face, we might try swimming as well. In all honesty, I don see him pursuing sports in school though. He is more a Lego League and Nature Society kind of kid.

macchiatto · January 2013

My son has hypotonia, SPD and anxiety. He has some Asperger's like qualities though he doesn't meet the criteria for it (at this point anyway) and he's only 4. At any rate, his PT said T-ball is often better than soccer for kids like him; more structured and less chaotic, easier to follow. We're doing T-ball this spring so no experience to share yet but just wanted to put that out there fwiw.

gimmietimmies · January 2013

Swimming. DS is medical/physical for the Para categories, but he had a team mate with CP (age 6), and several boys with ASD. His coach handled them quite well, especially coordinating personalities and abilities in with NT kids. They also competed both integrated and as Para. Even if they competed integrated, the accomodations made via their "coding" still applied. For example, ds can't balance or climb, so he does a standing start from the edge of the pool rather than the diving block.

DS at the championships:

Anyone tried getting child into sports?

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