Roller Skating and Autism

May 21, 10:48 PMSpecial Needs Kids ExaminerHeather Sedlock

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I should have thought of this sooner. I really should have. My youngest son Brandon has had an addiction to all things that spin since the earliest age. I should realized if I could find a way to get him to go in circles that didn't make him dizzy, that I should have been all of that! Last night, our local church (Journey church, Sallisaw, OK) hosted a "graduation" for their wednesday night group at the local skating rink. Brandon donned his skates for the first time ever. He kept falling but didn't cry once. Just got right back up again and kept going. Of course, like a lot of autistic children, he has balance issues to begin with and so he's used to falling. He's been asking me all day today if we can go every Wednesday night. He didn't get it that it was a special night to accept participant awards and such. So, we just might have to. The rates are reasonable as our the times. His bedtime is 7 p.m. during the school year and 9 p.m. during the beginning of summer. The skating rink closes at 8 p.m. so that would be perfect since the last day of this school year is tomorrow. Perfectly doable. One problem though. His older brother Thomas.

Thomas has no inclination to try skating again. He did it once on a school field trip and didn't like the whole falling down thing. He didn't want me to skate with him either cause he's "not a baby." It didn't matter to him that grown folk were out there falling down as well. It was just so uncool. He took a roll of quarters and spent the evening playing the video game machines waiting for them to call his group for an award certificate because next year he goes on to the older kid crowd. He just can't wait for that day when he can attend church on Wednesday nights without having to stay with the "babies." As he told me today, "I'm a TEN years old, Mom. TEN! That is like, so old, compared to the babies there..." And when asked how old these babies are that he attends with...."They're like eight or nine!" I managed not to roll my eyes. I didn't want to hurt his feelings.

Both my sons have autism and yet their obsessions differ in extremes ways. The only thing that the two both enjoy doing is video games; however, not the same ones. Both have autism and yet Brandon took so long to eat table foods whereas Thomas would eat anything put in front of him--even if it wasn't food! The differences between the two astound me sometimes. But it just goes to show you that what's true of neurotypical kids is true of Special Needs kids as well-no two are alike.

I used to wonder about whether or not I would ever be able to parent the both of them the same as other moms. Recently I have discovered that those moms that I admire parent each of their children differently as well, special needs or not. They tailor privileges and such to each child's abilities and personalities. So even if my kids didn't have autism, I'd still parent to their abilities and personalities. I guess I can live with that.

We will probably make roller skating a family fun activity every week now (the rink is not open regularly on Wednesday nights, the church had rented it) because it has skating that Brandon adores, an arcade Thom digs, and somewhere for me to sit and rest because I'm no spring chicken anymore! I think the skating is a good idea because it answers his need for propioceptive and tactile type movement. Out of all the wasted time spent with useless therapists, there were SOME things that I learned that helps him. So-called movement therapy is one of them. Five minutes on a trampolene or swing and he's good to sit still for an hour, if he needs to. So, yeah, roller skating will be in vogue once again at my house.