We have a child with a slight disability.
I am thinking of registering him to play competition sport with other kids with disabilities. My partner is of the opinion that we should not do this as this would make him feel like he is severely disabled and may damage his self-esteem. I think that we should allow him to play so that he can expose himself to the real world and make headway from an early age.
As I am in a dilemma,we would appreciate all opinions.
My sons played rugby league, a tough contact sport. Over the years as juniors they played against several teams that had players with limited ability; down syndrome, cerebral palsy to name a couple. In every game these players were treated with the utmost respect and fairness and were always included, at times the opposing team may give leeway to enable the player with the disability the opportunity to score a try or make a run or tackle. Give your child the chance to shine and be included, sport is wonderful for all sorts of reasons. It may expose him to the 'real world' where taunts and frustration win out but from my experience children are inclusive and accepting and bullying and taunting are learned behaviours.
Let him play. The real world experience, the exercise, learning about being part of a team are all invaluable….and it'll almost certainly be fun, plus to TheBilly for the comment
MUST buy at least a mouthgard….perhaps (esp to conciliate partner) a headguard………….any jibes refer "Jonathon Thurston".
To me it depends on how well the kid would be able to compete against able bodied kids, if he could hold his own then that is what I would do, if he is unlikely to be able to be at all competative at that level then the disabled sports would be a good route. Competing doesn't have to be about winning it is about doing the best you can and getting the exercise.
Talk to your doctor and psychologist. How can you expect to get useful advice from people with no medical knowledge of his disability or even what the disability is?
T think the replies are based on this……………"We have a child with a slight disability."………..you would hope the parent would have the best knowledge of the child.
We have a child with a slight disability.
How slight are you talking ?
You should go for it. My daughter attends Little Athletics in country Vic. There's a lad of about 11 who i think is pretty autistic. He doesn't say a word and he shuffles around the track like Cliff Young (remember him?), but no-one cares: it's about participating and having fun.
All the other kids are completely accepting of him. They keep an eye out for him (eg. make sure his water bottle is full, make sure he's at the start line on time).
Chat to the organisers to try and gauge what sort of support you & he can expect. Best of luck.
How old is your kid. I have different answers if they are 7 or 15.
It depends on the sport. In mainstream basketball, a disabled child (eg. mild intellectual disability) may find it difficult to cope with the pressure of the competitive nature of the game. Other players and parents may not be saying anything outright but the frustration is palpable. Thankfully there are many 'all abilities' basketball leagues that cater for the different levels of needs. They are worth considering.
I'd do it and watch what happens. If there are signs of it not working just exit the system before any imagined damage may occur (which I doubt).
On the other hand, I'd look at it with positive eyes. He may well very much like it, perhaps become a kind of 'leader'. This could boost his confidence
and improve his social skills at the same time.
Best of luck. Would be nice to get updates on the matter.
must be super important to OP considering they created a new account 8 hours ago, made this post and haven't said a dicky bird since.
Protecting children from adversity is denying them the opportunity to learn and grow.
In my opinion, as a parent, it’s good to expose different things (sports, music, etc) to your kids. Facing challenges is a good thing. It’s our role as parents to help them navigate the challenge, to find solutions together and to give support to them. As they older, theyll learn how to manage and cope when things get tough.
I understand the need to protect the little ones. They are our babies. But I’m of the belief that educating our children, and getting them to experience different things are important to prepare them for adulthood.
There are lots of sports classes in Australia (one of the upside of living here). You are bound to find one that suits your child. Once you pick a sports, you might want to spend some time introducing the sports to him so he’s familiar to it.
TLDR: give sports a go. If kids get mean, you can look for other sports group.
As someone who as a disability myself, let him choose to do what he wants to do and then support him do that what ever he choses. Lot's of sports now are inclusive (particularly for younger children).
If your child would like to do it then definitely go for it. If not then don't force it.
If the kid wants to play do it. Intergration will build confidence for your child and acceptance from his peers…good luck
I think most posters missed this part of the comment " … play competition sport with other kids with disabilities."
I think that changes the responses somewhat, making most of what has been written above irrelevant to the poster's question. My reading of the question is that it seems to be saying, "partner is wondering whether this will ingrain the idea of him being different and, by implication, not good enough?"
Do it. We live in Australia, I dont think any child deserves to be held back on living the most wholesome life they have available to them, in this awesome country. Just make sure he is in a good surrounding, and it is a fun supportive environment and not a place where people are overly competitive and it should be fine.
https://youtu.be/CYebJBcLZHA