How to Find Sports Activities for a Disabled Child

If you have a disabled child, you know the frustration of seeing your child left out of various activities. But did you know there are a wide variety of sports activities available for kids with disabilities? Read on to find out how your child can benefit from the fun of adaptive sports.

Instructions

1. Talk to you child's doctor before pursuing any sports programs for your child. Your doctor could recommend sports that would be suitable in light of your child's condition.

2. Consider all the sports opportunities out there. There's a program out there for just about any sport that your child might want to play, and if there isn't, you can personally adapt the sport to fit your disabled child's needs.

3. Relax the rules of the game. If your child wants to bowl, why not let her use both hands to toss the ball down the lane? If the sport of her choice is tennis, let her play without a net or use an oversize racket.

4. Call your city's parks and recreation department, local YMCA or local health clubs if you want to enroll him in a formal sports program.

5. Ask whether their facilities and programs are handicap accessible, whether they have programs just for disabled people and whether they have any adaptive equipment on hand for your child to use.

6. Look into Little League Challenger Baseball if your child might be interested in playing on a team sport. Challenger teams pool together children of all ages for an encouraging yet challenging season of games, tournaments and special events.

7. Inquire into Special Olympics if your child is 8 years or older and has an intellectual disability. Special Olympics offers 30 different sports, including skiing, cycling, figure skating and soccer.

Resources

• The Girls Health website has great sports ideas for disabled children.
• The main site for Special Olympics gives details on getting involved.
• The Little League website offers information about Challenger baseball.