As the weather warms up and thoughts turn to summer, I am ever more impressed with the opportunities for today's children with special needs to participate in fun activities. Our daughter, age 5, will once again have a busy schedule this summer (but not too busy to enjoy a picnic at the park or a dip in the backyard wading pool). In addition to adaptive horseback riding and yoga, she will once again play in our local Miracle League baseball program. This is a wonderful opportunity for a child to experience being part of a team and trying their best, and success is guaranteed thanks to the buddy system where each child is paired with a volunteer who helps him/her as much as needed and makes the game fun. Best of all, the family brings the child to the game and then simply sits back to enjoy WATCHING the fun. Parents with special needs children often find themselves being the most involved parent in the group in order to facilitate their child's participation. Be the brownie leader, the Sunday school teacher or the playgroup organizer so that other adults don't feel too uncomfortable and are willing to include your child. If you work outside the home, that can really put the squeeze on the amount of time you have to devote to these activities! But with adaptive recreation programs, your participation is not required, which is a beautiful thing. Look for day or residential camps, sports of all kinds, adaptive adventures like skiing or kayaking or even rock climbing! The programs are out there and kids of all abilities are getting involved and making great summer memories.
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