|
Raising
Special Kids is Changing to My Special Kids
Raising Special Kids site is coming down soon - by the end of the month, but don't worry, I am putting together a brand new site from Raising Special Kids - and because that brand is already in use by www.raisingspecialkids.org, I am changing my site to www.my-special-kids.com. I will have the index page up and will rewrite and post the pages as I go along, updating and adding new information and experiences. Stay tuned! Special Needs SportsGetting Your Child Involved in Sports
Sports, sporting events, teams, and special needs sports benefit everyone who participates, including the child, their parents and siblings. Sports can help build confidence and self esteem, and give kids a feeling of belonging and accomplishment. The Special OlympicsWhen most people think of special needs sports, the Special Olympics immediately come to mind. The mission of the Special Olympics is to empower individuals by providing year-round sports training and athletic competition in a variety of Olympic-type sports for children and adults with intellectual disabilities, giving them continuing opportunities to develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, experience joy and participate in a sharing of gifts, skills and friendship with their families, other Special Olympics athletes and the community. Special Olympics currently serve 2.5 million people with intellectual disabilities in more than 200 Programs in over 180 countries. Who is eligible to participate in Special Olympics?To be eligible to participate in Special Olympics, you must be at least 8 years old and identified by an agency or professional as having one of the following conditions: intellectual disabilities, cognitive delays as measured by formal assessment, or significant learning or vocational problems due to cognitive delay that require or have required specially designed instruction. The Special Olympics Young Athletes™ program was created for children with intellectual disabilities ages 2 through 7. How do I find a local chapter?The Special Olympics website has a locator built right in just for that purpose. If you have a child who meets the basic eligibility to participate in Special Olympics, I would definitely recommend looking up and contacting the nearest chapter to your location. Not only will you and your child benefit, but so will the rest of your family and the community as well. Special Olympics is working hard to beat the stigma of disability and is a positive force for social change, and the ultimate in special needs sports. Just do it! Team Sports for Children with Special
Needs
Every child wants to belong to a group. And most kids want to play team sports. Not only is it just fun, but they also love to fit in: to wear a uniform, to have a position, to simply fit it. And this goes for kids with handicaps, disabilities, and delays. Teams with special needs sports for children and adults with disabilities is growing, but it can still be hard to find. Always start by checking your local parks and recreation department or your state or local bureau for the disabled. BASEBALL: Little League Challenger
Division
The premier baseball program for players with special needs is Little League's "Challenger" division. For the program near you, contact Little League's international headquarters: 570-326-1921. SOCCER: AYSO VIP Programs
The VIP program is a unique division of AYSO for challenged players with physical, mental, or developmental limitations. The AYSO site has more details on how VIP works, as do most AYSO regional web pages. To find an AYSO VIP
program near
you, call AYSO's
international headquarters in SOCCER: USYS TOPS Programs
TOPSoccer (The Outreach Program for Soccer) is a community-based training and team placement program for young athletes with disabilities, organized by youth soccer association volunteers. For more
information, see the U.S.
Youth Soccer
site, which also lists regional TOPS coordinators for various
parts of the
Other SportsThere are many other sports that either provide inclusion for special needs kids, or else will form separate teams or classes for participation and instruction. Special needs sports are no longer the only place for kids with disabilities to have a place to play. Some examples of both team and individual sports are: Yoga Martial Arts (Judo, Karate, Tae Kwon Do, Tae Chi, etc.) SkiingHockey Football Archery Track and Field Ok, I think you getting the idea. Kids, even kids with special needs, can participate in just about any sport that they are interested in and have the physical ability to participate. Take into consideration the strengths of your child, as well as their challenges when looking for sports participation opportunities. You will want to make a list of accomodations that your child will need to be able to participate in your chosen sport - whether you find a team willing to include, or a special needs team - you will need to know how to communicate your child's needs to the coach and staff. This is a great opportunity to use the Child Information Sheet that is described here: Telling your story Telling your story - examples Finding Sports ActivitiesFinding an accomodating sports activity for you special needs child is not always a straight forward process. Here are some suggestions to make it easier for you.Check with national organizations for a local chapter near you, such as the baseball and soccer information above. Sources could be the phone book or just google it. Then just call and ask what is in your area and whether or not the program would be suitable for your child. Check with your state level parent information center to see if they have information on resources available or who to contact in your area to get that information. To find your state parent information center, look up your state information here: Directory of Parent Training and Information Centers (PTI) and Community Parent Resource Centers (CPRC). Check with your local Community Mental Health office, disability resources organization, local advocacy groups to see if they have information of special needs sports programs that may be available for your child. Every year, our local chapter of Parent to Parent sponsors an event called "All Kids Can" Recreation Expo, and they have vendors and sponsors from all over the local area come and setup displays and demonstrations about activities and programs they offer that are designed for or will accept children with disabilities. Check to see if there is an expo like this going on in your area - usually in the spring in preparation for summer (lots of information on summer programs, events and camps for kids both with and without special needs. Find your state information through the national site here: Parent 2 Parent USA Another great resource put together by the good people of Wrightslaw, is the Yellow Pages for Kids with Disabilities. You can get state specific information as well. Look up your state here: Yellow Pages for Kids With Disabilities - State Yellow Pages Kids love to play sports, be around other kids, be accepted and part of the team. All kids benefit from physical activity, social interaction and feeling acceptance and accomplishment. Special needs kids are no different and with some searching around, you can find activities and special needs sports that they can participate, or mainstream sports that will accomodate appropriately. Return from Special Needs Sports to Special Needs Activities Sign up for the Raising Special Kids E-Zine! Updates, articles, special offers, and news sent right to your inbox 
|
