How many of you struggle with choosing a suitable sports activity for your kid. The choice should be well thought out and suited to the overall condition of the participant. It should be enjoyable as well to avoid a refusal.

Movement is crucial in terms of whole child development. Moreover, numerous researches and studies found and confirmed that taking part in any sports activity has many benefits. The most important is that movement improves the mental and physical development of every individual, especially substantial for kids with neurodevelopmental disabilities. Boosts self-confidence and help to examine and understand the relationship that might be made between peers and learn about competition, teamwork, social interactions and other aspects.

Sports help children perform better at school. Give an opportunity to get familiar with the idea of competition and enjoy successes and accept any defeats.

There are numerous sports activities that are suitable for kids and are totally autism-friendly. What is most important at the beginning, there is no teamwork required and it’s better to avoid it initially. The social aspect and sensory sensitivity are often a big issue for those on the spectrum.

You can go swimming, horse ridding or biking. There are always rules that need to be learned and accepted but it’s a lot easier to start witha single player activity.

We tried swimming fist. That was a bit tricky as my son hated to have any waterdrop on his face of hair. That complicated hugely our swimming pool sessions at that time but after all, he is swimming and having fun in the water!

We tried biking and other ‘single player’ activities but he wasn’t really interested. He got bored easily and without strong motivation, there was nothing to do.

We moved also one step up. We tried a football club. That was a disaster. He cried at the end. I felt like an idiot blaming myself that I should know better.

After a break that we made just to calm down water and think about the right move, we found THE ONE!

CAPOEIRA

Ingredients:

• participating in a group but it’s not an actual teamwork
• rhythm, music, and movement
• martial art but not aggressive like judo or karate

It’s really nice to see my son slowly but surely enter in this extra-curricular activity always with more confidence and less stress. Today, after weeks of checking if capoeira meets my son’s needs I can say that in our case this physical activity is the most favorable. And remember – ONE STEP AFTER ANOTHER!