Coaching Youth Sports
Coach's Concerns
by Dr. Richard K. Stratton
Sports for All Children?
Parents of children with special needs probably experience some of the
greatest joys and some of the deepest frustrations. These children typically have many of
the same needs and desires as so called normal children. Participation in sports is no
exception. Opportunities for special children in sports are increasing, although not at
the rate many of us would like.
What can you do to help? Become involved in organizations
or activities at the local level. Encourage your local school system to enhance the
programming for special children in their physical education classes. Talk to your
recreation department administrators about making activities available. National and
international organizations such as the Special Olympics typically have local or regional
chapters with which you can affiliate. If there are not local organizations maybe you
should take the opportunity to start up one yourself. There are other parents in your
community with the same concerns and desires for their children. Be an advocate. Better
yet, become a leader!
Inclusion has become an important concept in the education of children
with special needs. Does it work in sports too? In some cases, yes, of course it does. But
in other cases it may not be realistic. In helping your child find opportunities to
participate in sports it is important that you and the child be honest with each other
about what is best for the child. Selecting the right activity can produce a very positive
and beneficial experience for the child. Best wishes!
Note from Webmaster: Check out
TopSoccer US Youth Soccer TOPSoccer (The Outreach Program for Soccer) is
a community-based training and team placement program for young athletes
with disabilities, organized by youth soccer association volunteers. The
program is designed to bring the opportunity of learning and playing soccer
to any boy or girl, ages 4-19, who has a mental or physical disability. Our
goal is to enable the thousands of young athletes with disabilities to
become valued and successful members of the US YOUTH SOCCER family.
Coaching Youth Sports Home Page
This article was written by Dr. Richard
K. Stratton
Health
and Physical Education Program
Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061-0313
540-231-5617 (o) 540-231-9075 (fax)
rstratton@vt.edu
This article is copyrighted by the
author and may be reprinted for personal use. Any other use, including use
for commercial purposes, requires the permission of the author. We
sincerely appreciate Dr. Stratton allowing us to use his articles on our
website. Please stop by his website
Coaching
Youth Sports Home Page and let him know you appreciate it. He also has
a great question and answer area on his website where you can leave
coaching and sports related questions and have them answered by experts.
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