How did Little League and your special needs kiddo work out?

[sonuptosondown]

Hi there,
I would like to get my kids involved in a sport this spring. I've asked again and again what they'd like to do, because I will basically be fine with anything, individual lessons, team sports, whatever, but I haven't gotten any answers so I'm thinking I'll sign them up for Little League. I'm not worried about my typical 6 year old, but I am worried about how this will go for my almost 9 year old.

He has some issues--low muscle tone, so he's not extremely coordinated and tires quickly. He's easily frustrated, though he's getting much better as he ages and learns. He also is a little "off" socially sometimes. Am I making a mistake? He's never played a team sport before, never been interested. I told him my plans and he groaned but didn't fuss about it which is a good sign, I think.

Anyway, anyone have positive or negative experiences to share? I'm definitely being protective--not sure if overly or not I don't want to throw him into a bad situation. But how will we know if we don't try, right?

If he were younger and in the t-ball stage I'd feel more relaxed about this, but he's going to be with 9 and 10 year olds who probably have played before.

Would love to hear anything you have to say.
Thanks,
Deb

[ericswifey27]

My 6 year old played in little league last season. He didn't really follow the rules correctly- the first game he picked up second base and wouldn't relinquish it until the coach stepped in and took it back He had an akward run, and outfield time often consisted of him playing in the dirt or running to the back fence. When he was batting it was hard to get him to keep his helmet on. When called he was the last to go out to field and the last to come in, except for the VERY last day, when he surprised us and came in from outfield quickly on his own

So despite how it sounds.... he LOVED it. And wants to play again, which totally surprised me. I found out there is a Little League Challenger division for kids with special needs, so will probably sign him up for that though, taking out the need to gamble on whether his coach will be able to "get" his needs as easiily.

I guess my advice is you won't know until he tries it, and even it he's not "successful" at it, he may have a great time anyway... his way!

[Kailey's mom]

I say go for it, remind your son that if he doesn't like it, or if things do end up going bad, that he doesn't have to go anymore, and he can do something else

[StephandOwen]

We've tried soccer through the YMCA (even keeping him in a younger age bracket that didn't focus on score, but rather just being out on the field). That flopped and didn't work well at all. Then ds wanted to try basketball. The YMCA had a program for children with SN. Each child was supposed to be paired with an adult volunteer as a buddy who would be on the court with them assisting. One of ds's daycare teachers at that time was a volunteer (and ds really liked that teacher) so we signed him up. It didn't work out well either. DS liked playing on the court with dp before/after the game. DP would put ds on his shoulders and let him shoot baskets that way. During the actual games (which were very loose and basically made sure everyone had a chance to get the ball and shoot with their buddy helping) ds had no interest. He wouldn't even get on the court. There were too many people and too much noise.

We've considered trying Miracle League (baseball for SN kids). That same teacher is usually a volunteer at that also. But I don't know if we will. It just has that little pang of hurt every time ds tries something like that but can't stick with it.

ETA- I'm very proud of ds for trying these different sports! That hurt comes when I watch ds spinning in circles and flipping out when anyone looks at him or talks to him while all the other kids are playing the game.

[AllyRae]

Does it have to be a team sport? Both of my special needs children did gymnastics and now my oldest special needs son does martial arts. He doesn't have the greatest muscle tone and has autism, but we just let the sensai know. DS is actually doing *really* well in it, and the fact that the sensai is no-nonsense and the class is structured is really good for DS. He progresses at his own pace, so there is not the pressure to win, and because it's not a team sport where they are competing for points, there's not the pressure to play as a team and not the loud noise/cheering/crowds. My little girl has a lot of social, emotional, and behavior problems, and gymnastics is great for her. It's also non-competative and she works at her own pace there as well.

ETA: My son is a pretty aggressive child, so we were worried about martial arts. But it's actually made him LESS violent because the sensai drills it in to them that they can't use it on other people outside of class.

[kme]

I have had varied success with sports and my special needs guy. Soccer was the sport that worked best both for my adhd and spd kids. However, you have to consider your son's strenghts and weaknesses. (For example, if he tires easily, soccer is probably not a great choice). Baseball was not great for my adhd guy b/c he could not pay attention in the outfield and flipped out when he had to wear the catcher's mask (but he can wear a football helmet - go figure). There was a lot of trial and error (and we are still trying different things with my spd guy). You really won't know till you try but I would make sure the league he will be playing in isn't too competitive. Try to find a league that is truly there to teach, not to win. We have played in some very competitive leagues and it can take all the enjoyment out of the game for a child who is not particularly athletic.

I would also encourage you to consider some non-team sports like another poster suggested. Wrestling has been a fantastic alternative to basketball (both winter sports) for my adhd guy who just couldn't keep up with the fast pace of basketball. There is also swimming, track, martial arts, and gymnastics. Often "quirky" kids do better with individual sports.

I would also encourage you to "stick with it" even if the first season is a disaster. my oldest with adhd was a disaster at sports in the beginning - with baseball, hockey, flag football, and basketball - all were a nightmare. Then he did soccer for a while, got some confidence, matured a little, and found wrestling and tackle football. The thing these two sports have in common is short bursts of activity - no time to lose concentration (like baseball) and not particularly fast paced (like hockey or basketball). It took us a long time to find what would work for him. And we found out that he is in fact somewhat athletic when playing the right sport for him.

Good luck!

[samfan]

I don't know how your child feels about water but we have had great success with swimming. I have two children with Aspergers. DD1 has problems with coordination which make ball sports really hard for her to manage. DS is actually pretty coordinated physically but he just couldn't get the teamwork concept involved in soccer and baseball. It was OK when he was little because the other kids didn't really get it either but as he got older and the other kids started to "get it" he stood out more and more. Last summer he quit baseball a little way into the season because it was causing him so much anxiety. Both of them have been swimming on swim teams for about 4 years and it has been so great for them. The teams they have been with have really emphasized that it is a team so they get that social aspect but since the actual races are individual they don't have to figure out teamwork like they do in baseball. We've had really great supportive coachs too.