Anyone's HFA ASD kid play team sports and how's it going?

[Anonymous]

Did you have to do anything to help? If so what worked?

[Anonymous]

No one?

[Anonymous]

My HFA child has tried a few team sports, but it doesn't work well. He's the least coordinated person on the team and he's getting old enough (9) that he and the other teammates notice. There was no real social interaction going on, so it didn't seem worth it to continue.

[Anonymous]

Mainstream team sports weren't an option for us. We did hockey with the Montgomery Cheetahs (special hockey) for a while, which was a great experience. It's a great organization. Kids can play at whatever skill level they are at, and also get the experience of being a part of a team. Your kid does have to want to play hockey, though!

[Anonymous]

Has he tried the special olympics sports? Everyone is very supportive there.
somdmontgomery.org

[Anonymous]

This is OP and wanted to say thank you to PPs. It's helpful to know one PP's child doesn't do team sports anymore and I appreciate the suggestion of the Special Olympics in Montgomery County and the Montgomery Cheetahs. They both look great.

Montgomery Cheetahs PP--Can you tell me what kind of disabilities most of the kids have and what age range?

DS, 8, really enjoys being in sports with his friends but can't keep up physically and has a hard time following the complexity of the game and staying focused. I had wondered when the friends would start noticing and caring and it sounds like from PP's experience that this going to happen any time now so it's good for us to be prepared with alternatives.

Has anyone found a good therapist or book or anything to help with the randomness aspect of team sports?

[Anonymous]

Mine tried soccer and basketball early on, but found that the other kids were too mean and he hated getting kicked, bumped or touched. Then, we found swimming. There have still been a fair amount of issues with getting kicked or hit by mistake, and it's taken several years for him to handle those things, but it is a sport that seems to work for my more independent-minded/non-social child.

It's also a place where he can spin to his heart's content in the water between sets and it doesn't seem odd to anyone.

[Anonymous]

My HFA 13 year old DS has been playing rec soccer since he was 6. It's been a great experience. He started when he was in first grade and now he's in 8th grade.

[Anonymous]

We tried soccer for DS, age 5, but it was sort of a no-go. I'll tell you what helped the most was putting him with younger kids where he was more developmentally on par and giving up any expectation of him doing some of the things (like when they play an actual "game" at the end of class). I talked with the instructors and basically said I'm not here to make him into Beckham, I just want him to move his body and get a little exercise so as long as you don't find whatever he's doing disruptive to the rest of the group, then I'm cool with you letting him play at his own pace. I think they have a lot more parents who want their kids to really learn the sport and in our case that's not as important to me as just exposing him to a team environment. Overall it was a positive experience and I think he liked it but I don't think we'll spend $ on it again for awhile. There were a lot of the issues PP's mentioned - kids touching him, a loud place inside, scratchy grass, etc. I think there's no harm in trying OP, but I would imagine you'd need to think about your goals and expectations.

[Anonymous]

DS has diagnosed severe ADHD, plus Aspie tendencies and coordination issues. Team sports were never in the cards. Neither of us like martial arts. He did gym for years and now does ballet - very good for posture and discipline, and his body has gotten stronger too.

[Anonymous]

Team sports did not work for my HFA kiddo. He doesn't deal well with temperature extremes and it always felt like he enjoyed his time on the sidelines better than playing. It wasn't fair to the other kids. However, we have found gymnastics to be great for him. He has also enjoyed karate. We have found that individual activities where he is still in a group work best for him.

[Anonymous]

My DS also has ADHD with some Aspie traits and coordination issues, and he really can't keep up with team sports like soccer. He has done well with Taekwondo and he also loves to swim, so I think we will try swim team next. He is almost 8.

[Anonymous]

A true of ours kid did great with karate, another did fencing, another swimming, another track.

It really depends on the kid, their interest, and abilities. There are lots of adaptive sports opportunities or individual sports if mainstream teams aren't the thing.

[Anonymous]

Cheetahs poster here -- I would guess that the majority of the kids are on the autism spectrum, but that is just a general impression. There are certainly kids with other physical or cognitive disabilities. It's a really positive atmosphere and the coaches are awesome. They have full equipment for all the kids and you don't even have to know how to skate. There are a ton of teenagers from Montgomery Youth Hockey who are getting community service hours as volunteer mentors so there's always help for kids who need it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A true of ours kid did great with karate, another did fencing, another swimming, another track.

It really depends on the kid, their interest, and abilities. There are lots of adaptive sports opportunities or individual sports if mainstream teams aren't the thing.

+1 all the sports mentioned and add golf, tennis, squash, and crew. Kids with ASD seem to do well in team sports where kids do their own thing within the group. So add band/orchestra, chess, coding, robotics.... My kid with AS is going to a spring break workshop for chess and it is amazing to see: He is with his tribe, can hold his own without problems, and fits right... and best of all he LOVES it.