October 14, 2006 by Kristina Chew, PhD
Filed under Health
Charlie is a great bike rider and swimmer, in the pool and in the ocean. But sports involving balls and sticks, bats, nets, baskets: These are far harder. There are small moving objects to keep track of, other kids’ feet and legs, having to run now this way and now that.
Different sports for different strengths.
[...] (I am, but bear with me, or get on with your Saturday; ours includes another round of Ant Hockey.) [...]
[...] The equipment for Ant Hockey did not get dropped off today, so Charlie and about ten other special ed kids ended up playing soccer with the one young woman as referee and us parents directing, requesting, running after our kids to line up on the yellow line for the kick-off. Charlie and the other autistic kids walked after or around the other kids who had the ball (I don’t think the other kids were on the autism spectrum.) Charlie got in one good kick before the “game” started; whenever we directed him to “look at the ball!”, he looked just after the ball was already spinning in the opposite direction. [...]
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So Charlie has excellent body control, bilateral coordination, and as a bonus is doing sports that are
a) life-time sports (so long as you have some movement, and I am indeed including people with spinal cord injuries, you can get water exercise)
b) self paced
c) the first things they have you do in rehab to reintroduce activity when you injure yourself doing OTHER sports *has spent MORE time on an exercise bike & in the pool for knees and ankles than for herself*.
So his sports are very useful, looking at them from an exercise science angle. And he enjoys them, which is most important of all.
By chance, I was talking with a friend today about team sports in high school and college—I had read how some college athletes have a hard time staying in shape afterwards because they are not used to doing all the training by themselves. My friend noted that her daughters have friends who gain 15-20 pounds in the off-season from soccer—-because they don’t exercise in the same way.
Thanks so much for this — sports for light, right?
Charlie just picked what are natural ways of locomotion and good ways of staying in shape without “trying” (ride your bike to the store vs get in the car, if its a mile and a half like it is here? Might as well take the bike.) He has very little off season. Lucky kid *grin*
I also have no off season. I enjoy swimming & biking (especially when my muscles won’t let me do my usual conditioning) but there’s no off season for gymnastics either.
Different sports for different folks. I wasn’t good with all the people and Stuff either. Except basketball. “Keep the redheaded girl from putting the ball in the net”. THAT I could do.
Now I will get a bit more personal—I can’t play any sport involving a ball. No arm or aim, etc. I found my spot when I was in high school—cross country running.
Cross country running would literally kill me.
Put me on a big blue mat and give me 90 seconds to charm the blue jackets off the judges, or on a beam, or tell me to fling myself over a 4 foot high suede covered Thing, sure (bars…we arent going there…). Tell me to stick to a basketball player like glue, sure. Swimming, yup. Double backflip off the diving board, no problem. Heck, even 100 meter dash.
But cross country would kill me. I can run all of 5 minutes. It’s an all out sprint…nothing halfway…never learned how. I have so much respect for the distance runners.
I am actually happy to be spared the “soccer mom” thing- confession of the day
. B rides his bike & swims for exercise, & was fencing, but the OCD seems to have put that on hold for a bit 
. The main sport in our house, though, is sailing & I’ve been really pleased that B is taking more & more interest in it as he gets older. His dad races our boat spring, summer, & fall, & he & B go out for fun at every opportunity. On Labour Day he & B won a big boat race, which helped B make the jump to racing with dad. Sailboat racing is a lot different than soccer & basketball & baseball- no balls to chase!- & seems a lot more do-able for B. Team sports are also about socialising, & sailboat racing also provides that opportunity for B. What I like about sailing & socialisation is that you are more likely to be having fun with the people you’re trying to beat on the race course, since you’re all in the same club, & it’s rare to have any sort of grudge situations our club, so B is learning very positive models of competition, rather than toxic ones.
My “Amigo” has the added challenge of being blind. He rides a recumbent three-wheeler and “plays” softball in a Challenger League. His Adaptive PE teacher is great; he’s been introducing him to weights. I see a YMCA membership in our future.
One the things that really please me about Charlie’s new school is that he does P.E. everyday, with a teacher trained to work with them. Charlie definitely benefits from regular physical activity—phys ed for life.
one thing that really impresses me about the william allitt school is the pe facilties. Thanks to the pe facilities i have a good body control and bilateral coordination. My favourite sport is cricket , it really builds my muscles in my arms when bowling the ball.
@megan hale,
thanks for writing here—where is the school, if I may ask? Great to hear about the PE facilities.