My son recently was diagnosed with Autism. He is 6 years old and watches his brother and sister in different activities. He would like to participate, but has difficulty in the regular sports and social environment. Does anyone have any ideas about groups that are for children with special needs. His autism effects him mildly, but enough to cause difficulty in social situations. Thanks so much in advance.
D.-
I have a nephew who has asbergers (sp) also a mild case. My brother and sister-in-law have him in gymnastics and he LOVES it! You should give it a try!
Hi D.,
I have a 5 yr old son with autism. We live in Plainfield. I don't know if registration is still open or not but my son is going to play t-ball with the Miracle League of Joliet. They have a special field behind the Joliet Jackhammer's field. The website is www.miracleleagueofjoliet.com
Also, my son is starting horseback riding therapy this month at Ready Set Ride in Plainfield. That website is www.readysetride.org
You should also check with your park district, many times they have a special needs department that has it's own programs or sometimes they can supply a "buddy" to help your son participate in the regular programs.
I hope this helps!
D. L.
What about a solitary sport like Tae Kwon Do (hope I spelled that right. I used to work with kids with autism, and I remember one of the boys was very involved in that. Also something like gymnastics might be nice as well. Maybe talk to the school's occupational therapist about fun activities for him, as well as your township's special education team for things that may benefit him. Hope this helps.
Is you son receiving therapy to help him with some of his challenges? A speech therapist can help with social/language problems. A physical therapist can help with coordination difficulties he may have and an occupational therapist can help with coordination and sensory intigration. There is a special rec group in the area, WDSRA, i think it is. I think it is for western dupage special rec association. Hope that helps.
I know that those jumpinng inflateable places have special nights reserved for children with special sensory needs. Try JumpZone in Mokena and Pump It Up in Orland. Also, there is a developmental therapy program called BDI Playhouse in Orland and they service young children with special needs. The owner was previously a teacher of children with autism. Her name is Janis Bautz. You might want to contact the Playhouse to see if they have any recomendations.
J.
My son has autism too and I also would love to hear anything about this. He is going to be 5 on the 8th.
S. Bailey CLD
Aurora
www.tendermomentsdoula.com
Milestones for Kids Success in Downers Grove offers a bunch of groups for school age kids over the summer. I know they have one or two especially geared toward socialization. http://www.milestones4kids.com/Home.html
I think if you click on the most recent newsletter it tells about them. Otherwise just give them a call.
Hi D.! I teach in a communication development classroom for students with varying degrees of Autism and other communication needs. I am interested in starting a group similar to the one you are seeking. :-) I'm interested in knowing what your needs are and how many other families in the area would like this service. Please send me comments and let me know.
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Hi D.-
The Fox Valley Park District is very accommodating. They have a special rec program which is for kids with special needs. They also have an inclusion program which is outstanding. Your child can be in the class with typical peers and they will put a special rec teacher in the class for him. There is a new jumpy place on Frontenac in Aurora. It is called Airtastic. They have certain times that have no music - and less overwhelming. The best thing we did for our daughter was an ABA program. I would love to share how it works. Good luck.
L. G
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I also have a son with mild autism, although we have known since he was 18months old. What we do is put him regular actvities at the rec center where he would be at the older age range. (example his baseball is for 5 and 6 year old but he turns 7 next month) Also we talked to the center so he could be included with a younger group. Our son liked it because it made him feel better that he was older and could do things as well or better than the other kids and he didn't feel "special". Sometimes the milder kids feel worse in groups for strictly austic kids because there the full range of abilities and my son would then think there was something wrong with him. He did much better is regular groups even if in the beginning it took a little time for him to become comfortable. And if your son needs help in social situations as our son did and still does he can learn it better from kids who can model that behavior. Hope this helps and God Bless.
The school social worker at your elementary school should be able to help you...either through a social group offered at school (if he is enrolled in school) or by giving you ideas within the community.
