Guest guest Posted August 10, 2006 Report Share Posted August 10, 2006 Getting Active With Autism. Anahad O'Connor, The New York Times http://www.newsobserver.com/105/story/469008.html The members of the swim team at Bloomington High School South in centralIndiana cheer wildly every time Nathan Buffie races. In his two years onthe team, Nathan has never won first place at a meet. Often, he finishesfar behind. But it is the fact that Nathan even goes into the water and manages tocompete at all that his teammates find so remarkable. Nathan, a trim16-year-old with a boyish smile, has autism, the devastatingdevelopmental disorder that makes his participation in any sport orsocial activity a struggle. "He is probably the worst swimmer on the team, but he keeps gettingbetter and he wants to win," said his mother, Penny Githens. "He tellshis teammates this, and they just get so excited for him." For years, children with autism were left on the sidelines, aconsequence of a widespread belief that they were incapable ofparticipation in athletics. But while it is true that autistic childrencan be difficult to motivate and resistant to exercise, they are nowbeing pushed to take part in physical education programs, encouraged byexperts who say that certain sports can ease repetitive behaviors suchas pacing and head-banging as well as provide a social outlet. Autistic children, even those who are considered low functioning, canexcel at activities such as swimming, martial arts, running and surfing-- sports that don't entail having to read social cues or figuring outwhen to pass the ball. "A lot of autistic children are never going to play on a team, but theycan do really well in individual sports," said Donna Asher, the campdirector at the North East Westchester Special Recreation Program inHawthorne, N.Y. "It's not their physical skills that keep them fromparticipating, it's their social skills -- not being able to interactwith others or having a breakdown on the field in the middle of a game." Athletic programs for autistic children, often called adapted sportsprograms, are designed to sidestep social and behavioral problems.Many autistic children -- up to half, according to some studies -- areprescribed antipsychotics and other drugs that can produce fatigue andswift weight gain. Studies show that about 17 percent of autisticchildren are overweight and 35 percent more are at risk, figures thatmirror the rate among American children in general. Experts hope that teaching autistic children how to be active will staveoff problems later in life. "What we're trying to do is to make surethat they won't be at high risk for obesity and coronary arterydisease," said Dawn D. Sandt, an assistant professor of adapted physicaleducation at the University of New Mexico who has studied the activitylevels and the body mass of autistic children. Not a high priority Still, for parents of autistic children, locating an adapted sportsprogram can be a low priority. More often than not, they are consumedwith struggles to find speech therapists, behavioral interventionservices, special education classes and a health insurance policy thatwill pay for it all. "Parents of autistic kids have a lot of battles to fight," said GeorgiaFrey, an associate professor of kinesiology at IndianaUniversity-Bloomington, who founded an adapted physical educationprogram in 2001. "So when it comes to getting their kids involved inrecreation and physical activity, it can seem too exhausting. But I dothink that parents see the value in these programs, because the demandfor them is very high." Researchers say the value of sports for autistic children is welldocumented but often overlooked. Studies dating to the 1980s have foundthat brisk physical activity increases attention span and reducesrepetitive behaviors. But the catch is that the exercise must be moderate to vigorous. Oneearly study of autistic children found that 15 minutes of jogging "wasalways followed by reductions in stereotyped behaviors" likehand-flapping and rocking. But 15 minutes of playing alone with a ball,considered mild exercise, had "little or no influence" on behaviors. Dr. John O'Connor, an associate professor of adapted physical educationat Montana State University-Northern, explained why. Running andswimming involve rhythmic movements that are similar to stereotypicalbehaviors, and may distract people with autism the same way flappingtheir hands or walking on their toes does. "People with autism experience levels of sensory perception that most ofus wouldn't know or understand," O'Connor said. "It overloads them, sothey engage in behaviors that distract them. Exercise gives them thesame benefits but it doesn't have the negative social connotations." Different challengesAs many as one out of every 166 children born today has autism,according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control. No organizationtracks the number of participants in adapted physical education programsor how many such programs exist. Because the severity of the condition varies, the challenges instructorsface are never the same. Some children are withdrawn, others willengage. Some speak fluently, others are mute. The Aqua Pros Swim School in San Diego has a program called Pool PALS(Persons with Autism Learning to Swim). There, teachers incorporatepictures and marker boards into their lessons to demonstrate properstroke technique to children who have trouble communicating. The schoolalso has a mechanical platform that can be lowered into a pool inch byinch to gently introduce reluctant children to watersports. Tammy Anderson, the private swim instructor who runs the program,started it about five years ago after she met a woman who doubted thather nonverbal, tantrum-prone 7-year-old daughter would ever swim a lap. "I saw that as a challenge," Anderson said. Every lesson had to bebroken down into small steps that were demonstrated with flash cards andother visual cues. After a month and a half, she said, the girl couldswim across the pool "with a pretty decent stroke.Her mom came back to me in tears and said it was the first thing thatanyone has ever been able to teach her daughter," Anderson said.Pool PALS now has more than 100 students, up from 30 when it started. Itspawned a surf program with 80 participants, up from 14 when it began in2001. Both programs have waiting lists. Keep the structureBecause autistic children often do better with routines, most programsare highly structured. At the Westchester camp, which serves childrenwith developmental disabilities and emphasizes fitness, campers areprovided with a detailed daily schedule. Instructors keep the campersengaged and ready to participate. "Left to their own devices, these kidswill retreat into their own little worlds," said Asher, the campdirector. The hope of the adapted programs is that participants will pursue asport for life. Then there are the best-case scenarios such as NathanBuffie in Indiana, who started in an adapted swim program at a YMCA,graduated to a community program and eventually proved capable ofswimming for his high school team. He also participates in an adaptedmartial arts program at a YMCA. His mother, Githens, said that Nathan stumbles sometimes. He doesn'talways line up when he should, and he has problems controlling hisvoice. But the swim team has embraced him nonetheless."When he is out in the water," she said, "his teammates yell and screamfor him in a way that they don't for anyone else." "Our ideal is not the spirituality that withdraws from life but the conquest of life by the power of the spirit." - Aurobindo. Messenger with Voice. Make PC-to-Phone Calls to the US (and 30+ countries) for 2¢/min or less. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 11, 2006 Report Share Posted August 11, 2006 Therre was an autistic boy who was featured in the US national news. He played on his high school team. In one of the last game sof the season, he went in the game and scored quite a few points in a short amount of time. Most people were very impressed. GB , Jagannath Chatterjee <jagchat01 wrote: > > Getting Active With Autism. > Anahad O'Connor, The New York Times > > http://www.newsobserver.com/105/story/469008.html > > The members of the swim team at Bloomington High School South in central > Indiana cheer wildly every time Nathan Buffie races. In his two years on > the team, Nathan has never won first place at a meet. Often, he finishes > far behind. > But it is the fact that Nathan even goes into the water and manages to > compete at all that his teammates find so remarkable. Nathan, a trim > 16-year-old with a boyish smile, has autism, the devastating > developmental disorder that makes his participation in any sport or > social activity a struggle. > " He is probably the worst swimmer on the team, but he keeps getting > better and he wants to win, " said his mother, Penny Githens. " He tells > his teammates this, and they just get so excited for him. " > For years, children with autism were left on the sidelines, a > consequence of a widespread belief that they were incapable of > participation in athletics. But while it is true that autistic children > can be difficult to motivate and resistant to exercise, they are now > being pushed to take part in physical education programs, encouraged by > experts who say that certain sports can ease repetitive behaviors such > as pacing and head-banging as well as provide a social outlet. > Autistic children, even those who are considered low functioning, can > excel at activities such as swimming, martial arts, running and surfing > -- sports that don't entail having to read social cues or figuring out > when to pass the ball. > " A lot of autistic children are never going to play on a team, but they > can do really well in individual sports, " said Donna Asher, the camp > director at the North East Westchester Special Recreation Program in > Hawthorne, N.Y. " It's not their physical skills that keep them from > participating, it's their social skills -- not being able to interact > with others or having a breakdown on the field in the middle of a game. " > Athletic programs for autistic children, often called adapted sports > programs, are designed to sidestep social and behavioral problems. > Many autistic children -- up to half, according to some studies -- are > prescribed antipsychotics and other drugs that can produce fatigue and > swift weight gain. Studies show that about 17 percent of autistic > children are overweight and 35 percent more are at risk, figures that > mirror the rate among American children in general. > Experts hope that teaching autistic children how to be active will stave > off problems later in life. " What we're trying to do is to make sure > that they won't be at high risk for obesity and coronary artery > disease, " said Dawn D. Sandt, an assistant professor of adapted physical > education at the University of New Mexico who has studied the activity > levels and the body mass of autistic children. > Not a high priority > Still, for parents of autistic children, locating an adapted sports > program can be a low priority. More often than not, they are consumed > with struggles to find speech therapists, behavioral intervention > services, special education classes and a health insurance policy that > will pay for it all. > " Parents of autistic kids have a lot of battles to fight, " said Georgia > Frey, an associate professor of kinesiology at Indiana > University-Bloomington, who founded an adapted physical education > program in 2001. " So when it comes to getting their kids involved in > recreation and physical activity, it can seem too exhausting. But I do > think that parents see the value in these programs, because the demand > for them is very high. " > Researchers say the value of sports for autistic children is well > documented but often overlooked. Studies dating to the 1980s have found > that brisk physical activity increases attention span and reduces > repetitive behaviors. > But the catch is that the exercise must be moderate to vigorous. One > early study of autistic children found that 15 minutes of jogging " was > always followed by reductions in stereotyped behaviors " like > hand-flapping and rocking. But 15 minutes of playing alone with a ball, > considered mild exercise, had " little or no influence " on behaviors. > Dr. John O'Connor, an associate professor of adapted physical education > at Montana State University-Northern, explained why. Running and > swimming involve rhythmic movements that are similar to stereotypical > behaviors, and may distract people with autism the same way flapping > their hands or walking on their toes does. > " People with autism experience levels of sensory perception that most of > us wouldn't know or understand, " O'Connor said. " It overloads them, so > they engage in behaviors that distract them. Exercise gives them the > same benefits but it doesn't have the negative social connotations. " > Different challenges > As many as one out of every 166 children born today has autism, > according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control. No organization > tracks the number of participants in adapted physical education programs > or how many such programs exist. > Because the severity of the condition varies, the challenges instructors > face are never the same. Some children are withdrawn, others will > engage. Some speak fluently, others are mute. > The Aqua Pros Swim School in San Diego has a program called Pool PALS > (Persons with Autism Learning to Swim). There, teachers incorporate > pictures and marker boards into their lessons to demonstrate proper > stroke technique to children who have trouble communicating. The school > also has a mechanical platform that can be lowered into a pool inch by > inch to gently introduce reluctant children to watersports. > Tammy Anderson, the private swim instructor who runs the program, > started it about five years ago after she met a woman who doubted that > her nonverbal, tantrum-prone 7-year-old daughter would ever swim a lap. > " I saw that as a challenge, " Anderson said. Every lesson had to be > broken down into small steps that were demonstrated with flash cards and > other visual cues. After a month and a half, she said, the girl could > swim across the pool " with a pretty decent stroke. " > " Her mom came back to me in tears and said it was the first thing that > anyone has ever been able to teach her daughter, " Anderson said. > Pool PALS now has more than 100 students, up from 30 when it started. It > spawned a surf program with 80 participants, up from 14 when it began in > 2001. Both programs have waiting lists. > Keep the structure > Because autistic children often do better with routines, most programs > are highly structured. At the Westchester camp, which serves children > with developmental disabilities and emphasizes fitness, campers are > provided with a detailed daily schedule. Instructors keep the campers > engaged and ready to participate. " Left to their own devices, these kids > will retreat into their own little worlds, " said Asher, the camp > director. > The hope of the adapted programs is that participants will pursue a > sport for life. Then there are the best-case scenarios such as Nathan > Buffie in Indiana, who started in an adapted swim program at a YMCA, > graduated to a community program and eventually proved capable of > swimming for his high school team. He also participates in an adapted > martial arts program at a YMCA. > His mother, Githens, said that Nathan stumbles sometimes. He doesn't > always line up when he should, and he has problems controlling his > voice. But the swim team has embraced him nonetheless. > " When he is out in the water, " she said, " his teammates yell and scream > for him in a way that they don't for anyone else. " > > > > " Our ideal is not the spirituality that withdraws from life but the conquest of life by the power of the spirit. " - Aurobindo. > > > > > > > Messenger with Voice. Make PC-to-Phone Calls to the US (and 30+ countries) for 2¢/min or less. > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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