Parents of disabled children have many demands on their time and even more challenges when it comes to play dates and activities other than school. After-school programs shouldn’t be seen as an extra burden.
They are a great opportunity for the child to make friends, build confidence, discover new interests, and show their strengths.
Why After-School Activities Are Important
The fear of negative experiences prevents some parents from letting their disabled child participate in after-school activities, but there are many positives:
- All children need to be nurtured: Whether they are disabled or not, everyone has talents that give them the potential to be successful at what they love, so it’s important to recognize and build these talents.
- Building confidence and respect: A Study confirms the satisfaction that children and parents feel when the child succeeds and excels at an activity.
- Learning Skills: Whether it’s in school or after school, new skills are honed while your child tries new things and at the same time learns to be part of a team, and to support and encourage others. These new friendships and skills can last a lifetime
- Increased opportunities for your child to make friends and find their social niche: Research shows that despite the social challenges disabled kids sometimes experience, or frequently miss class because of their disabilities, friendships can still be formed, but in different settings. By choosing the right organization, your child will suddenly have a built-in set of social connections.
- Life-long interests often start at school: If your child gets interested in sports, music, art, chess, dance, or any other cultural activity in school, that interest can be an outlet throughout their life.
How to Choose Activities
When choosing an activity, keep this in mind:
- Be realistic: Think about what your child understands and can focus on for a prolonged period. They may have the capacity to kick a ball back and forth with you, but being on a competitive team brings responsibility, pressure, and physical activity they may not be ready for. A casual, intramural team can be a better fit.
- Choose an activity your child is good at: Find an opportunity for your child to show off what they can do well.
- Include your child in the decision: What your child wants will be limited by their abilities. If they are really keen on an activity, there may be lower-key, more accepting programs available where they can be fully included.
- Make sure you and your child know what they are getting into: Ask the nitty gritty questions like what is expected of a child or if accommodation is available if they need it. Make certain your child is aware of the expectations and is capable of doing what’s expected with the necessary support.
- Pick an activity that interests your child: Already coping with chronic pain, challenging school expectations, bullies, and worse, after-school activities should be something they actively enjoy.
- Talk to the person running the program: By explaining your child’s strengths and challenges and finding out how they would be handled, the activity can be better gauged to see if it’s a good match.
- Enroll kids in a program with an intensity they can handle: Complex team sports aren’t always a good choice, and individual track and field events are often preferable. Children with concentration issues and struggles talking over people, may not be suited for policy debate but could perhaps thrive at impromptu (IMP) speaking on their school’s speech and debate team.
- After-school programs designed for kids with disabilities: Programs curated for kids with disabilities such as Challenger Club, are good for some but others find these programs babyish or frustrating. Check out both the standard and the modified versions of activities your child is likely to find interesting. Try out the versions at home or in an outdoor space to establish how they feel and perform.
- Become your child’s shadow or helper to start: Often children who struggle to get started shine once they know the ropes. they’re just fine. Parent’s time can be overstretched and hiring a helpful “shadow” to support your child and step in if a problem arises is an alternative. Ask your child if they’d be comfortable with your or another adult’s presence because they may fear being singled out. Talk with your child after each event to find out how it went.
- Sensory concerns should be borne in mind: Children who are especially sensitive to loud noise, heat, strong smells, and bright lights should steer clear of activities that involve sensory “assaults.” If your child still wants to participate in these activities, get them the proper equipment necessary for their participation such as thermal gloves or noise-cancelling earmuffs.
- Don’t limit options based on gender: Children of all genders can thrive in sports, robotics, and dance teams. Although they may not feel that comfortable to start with, it is more important that your child feels safe has fun, and grows as a person.
- Structured programs as opposed to open-ended programs: Programs like Boy or Girl Scouts that offer structure are often better for neurodivergent kids than open-ended “exploration” experiences. The latter can be very challenging to a child whose social, organizational and emotional skills are different from their peers.
- “After-school” can mean “in school” or community-based: For some children, the options available in the community (e.g. rec sports versus school sports) are a better match.
Social Interaction For Disabled Kids: Extracurricular Activity Options
Sports:
Many sports are suitable and give children a platform to learn and make friends while working on physical abilities.
Visual Arts:
Visual arts are a place where creativity and passion matter most. A child doesn’t have to be a skilled artist to enjoy it or express themselves through art.
Singing and Instrumental Programs:
Not just only entries into school-based programs, these programs can turn into also hobbies to enjoy throughout life or even become careers.
Special Interest Clubs:
Many autistic children are intensely focused on one particular subject and can find a club that suits their interests.
Structured Adult-led Clubs and Programs:
Many neurodivergent children shine in programs such as 4H and Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, progressing at their own rate, regardless of ability or background.
Volunteer Activities:
Kids can help foster kittens, clean up trash at the park, visit nursing homes, or help raise money for school events by selling treats or washing cars, becoming valued members of the community or school organizations.
Video and A/V:
Many middle and high schools have video and A/V clubs and in many towns, local TV stations like to get kids involved.
Theater:
Many kids who experience difficulty finding the right words and actions do very well when acting from a script. Some kids even discover they have a real talent for acting.
Horseback Riding:
Although it can be expensive, horseback riding combines many elements such as effective communication, strength, and balance building, and skills that can be competitive or non-competitive.
Cosplay and Fantasy Games:
Short for “costume play,” both kids and adults can show off what they create. At conventions, they interact with others, get signatures from their favorite actors, or just generally enjoy being geeks together.
Don’t forget that outside interests can change the course of your child’s life. By extension, this changes your life too. Great things lie ahead for any child who has an area of real strength, a group of friends, and a sense of belonging.
