The importance of sports is well known, but its relevance to special children is not so widely acknowledged.
The importance of sports is well known, but its relevance to special children is not so widely acknowledged. The experiences of 29 special children, their parents, teachers and volunteers at a camp in Malleswaram might perhaps reinforce the belief of an increasing number of therapists that sports can be a great tool in training such kids.
The camp, organised by occupational therapist Dr Vaishali Pai at Canara Union in Malleswaram, used games such as cricket, football, cycling, frisbee, tennikoit, carrom and rollerskating as therapy aids for children with autism, cerebral palsy and similar conditions.
The 10-day camp, which started on May 20, has offered several positives to the children and their parents, who are now seeking similar sessions over a longer period.
“The workshop helped me know how much talent my daughter has,” said the parent of a participant, adding, “She’s usually very restless, but over the last few days she has started enjoying the sessions and is looking forward to coming here.”
The camp is being conducted with help from a five-member team from the Mumbai-based Santosh Institute. Dattaram Fonde, founder of Santosh Institute, has had great success with using sport as therapy, and had organised a workshop in Bangalore six months ago.
Inspired by that workshop, Dr Pai, in association with Asha Foundation, arranged the Malleswaram camp and invited Fonde’s team.
One of the main issues facing parents of special children in Bangalore is the lack of outdoor facilities for children to play in. “Special children need a lot of outdoor activity. There is no reason why they should be confined to classroom activity. It’s a great outlet for their pent-up energy. Sports also helps them improve their communication and social skills,” said Fonde.
Dr Pai, who runs a clinic called Tamahar, rued the absence of outdoor facilities for children with special needs. “It has been difficult to find the space to conduct this activity. Hopefully, we can find institutions that will lend their campuses on Saturdays and Sundays. The improvement in the kids has been encouraging,” she said.
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