Physical Activity for Children with Special Needs

A child with special needs is one who requires some form of special care due to physical, mental, emotional or health reasons. Children with special needs are also commonly referred to as children with disabilities. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) defines a child with a disability more specifically as one who has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits the child’s ability to care for herself or himself, perform manual tasks, or engage in any other “major life activity,” such as walking, seeing, hearing, speaking, breathing, or learning, in an age-appropriate manner.

Children with disabilities are more similar than different from other children. Avoid becoming too focused on a child’s disability. Treat each child as a whole person. Every child needs to feel successful and capable. Children with Aspergers, autism or attention deficit hyperactive disorder often have the uncontrollable need to move and physical activity can help them learn to do so appropriately. Most young children need to and want to move frequently and all children benefit while promoting physical fitness (muscular strength and endurance, cardiovascular endurance, flexibility), developing motor skills (run, jump, hop, walk, gallop, skip, throw, catch, kick, bounce, strike, stretch, bend, twist, turn, balance), improving coordination, and building self-confidence. The ways you include a child with physical differences or impairments will benefit all the children in your care. Here are some strategies for inclusion.

Modify the environment
Modify the task for the individual
Use safe, soft objects
Simplify instructions
Give visual, oral, and kinesthetic cues
Provide plenty of repetition
Have role models
Use communication systems
Eliminate elimination games
Minimize waiting time

The primary reason that children participate in active play is to have fun, and the key reason they quit is a lack of fun. With that being said, here is an activity that everyone can get in on the fun!

Constructors & Destroyers

What:

20-30 Colored Cones
Portable iPod/CD Player
Music Suggestions: Taking Care of Business by Randy Bachman, Barefootin’ by Jimmy Buffett, Footloose by Kenny Loggins

Where:

Outdoor space (grass area or playground, etc.) or large indoor space (gym, multi-purpose room, etc.)

Who:

Children who want to move and play!

How:

Set up the cones randomly spaced about 4-6 feet from each other.
Knock over about one-third of those cones. Space out those that are upright and those that are on their side.
Organize the children into two groups. One group is designated as the Constructors and the other group is designated as the Destroyers. It is better to have a few more Constructors than Destroyers!
The Constructors “job” is to stand up all the cones that were knocked over.
The Destroyers “job” is to GENTLY tip over the cones that are standing up. Make sure to remind the children to be gentle and only use the palms of their hands to touch the cones. No kicking or throwing of the cones is allowed.
The game begins (players move through the space doing their job) when the music starts and ends when the music stops.
When the music stops, begin the game again but this time let the Constructors be Destroyers and Destroyers become the Constructors.