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A U T I S M
Major Concern #1
Deficits in social and communication skills vary for
each child. Too often Autism is confused with stereotypical behaviors seen by
characters in movies. Many children today are being diagnosed with forms of
autism where the characteristics are less obvious. These children are at
particular risk for failure in physical activity settings because others do
not see the disability and confuse the lack of social understanding with being
“different” or “strange”. Many parents believe that children with autism,
because of their social deficits, need structured play settings such as
youth sport programming. This may be true for many kids with autism, but
consider that in many youth sports programs the level of skill of program
providers varies. Some adults lack the skills to work with children without
disabilities and may have even more problems with your child with autism.
Both the child and the program provider suffer if proper resources are not
provided in advance.
Suggestion
Teaching children to play in unstructured settings is
important and foundational to other more advanced community sports programs.
It is recommended that young parents go to playgrounds and other places
where kids play and observe how young children interact. This includes how
long children stay on task (very short) and how they interact with other
children in general. By helping your child at home experience successful
play situations you can prepare your child to engage in more social
community options later. Turn taking and also helping children understand
the need to communicate is important. Some children with autism will engage
for hours in stereotypical activities such as repetitively building the
same structure with blocks. Reinforcing children for appropriate play and
helping them transition from one activity to another will help the child
later when he is in a more structured program. It may also be the case that
your child’s program provider needs help understanding how your child
transitions best. Some children need time to prepare for the stopping of
one activity and the beginning of another.
Major Concern #2
Older children with autism may not want to participate
in games and sports that are overly social. May traditional games such as
little league baseball or soccer may not fit your child’s participation
preferences.
Suggestion
Martial arts programs have some inherent qualities that
make them suitable for children of all ability levels and specifically
children with autism. First, the activities involve a lot of repetition and
modeling. Second, progress or achievement is marked by rank improvements of
each individual rather than success of the group. Third, children can
engage in many forms of martial arts where touching and contact are not
necessary for improvement. Forms and other skills can be done without a
need to perform to the standards of the group. Finally, martial arts
programs accept children and adults of all ages. Typically many programs
have adults and adolescents participate at the same time and in the same
class. Mom, dad, and siblings can all play at the same time and provide
models for the adolescent with autism. Keep in mind that when parents play
with kids, it is not always the job of the parent to keep the child in
line. Some instructors will need your help and also want you to participate
rather than keep your child in line. Talk with the instructor beforehand
and set guidelines for how problem behavior will be handled and who will
intervene. Also, many programs provide private lessons to families as a
group making it possible for the family to learn at a set time without the
distraction of outside participants.
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