Autism Soccer: How Can We Make Games More Inclusive for All Children

Granting opportunities for children means creating spaces for them to grow up healthy.

Games are one of the most important parts of our children’s development. They build their confidence, improve their social skills and help them explore the world around them. Playing also provides them with a great way to start understanding who they are and healthily develop their personalities. This is true for children from all different backgrounds: It doesn't matter who they are, where they come from or if they have any special needs or unique ways to see the world; at the end of the day, they all just want to play, have fun and be kids.

As grown-ups, we must provide an environment in which they can grow up free and safe. They shouldn’t have to worry about whether they’ll face discrimination or whether there will be games they can actually be able to play. Sooner or later, children with special needs will find out they’re a little different from their peers. Nevertheless, all children should know and be taught that they can all still be kids and have fun, celebrate their differences and accept one another. The work starts with parents, caregivers, instructors and teachers. The action starts with us.

The TREE principle

When it comes to sports, the Australian Sports Commission's Disability Education program came up with a fundamental idea for modifying activities to be inclusive. Any parent, teacher, coach or volunteer can apply the TREE principle to ensure that their approach towards children with different abilities is inclusive. TREE stands for:

Teaching method
Rules and regulations
Equipment
Environment

Taking these four aspects of every game into consideration can be used as a practical tool to help caregivers to adapt and modify game situations to accept everyone. Depending on the different abilities our kids have, we can always pick a different approach. For example, for children with intellectual disabilities, applying the TREE principle would look like this:

T: Use short and clear verbal and visual cues, visual aids.

R: Apply simple, less complex task/rules.

E: Use equipment with no sharp edges or add padding equipment. Helmets, gloves, knee and elbow pads, sponge balls.

E: Smaller play area or play indoors.

If there are physical disabilities involved, it could look like this:

T: Focus on the ability, open communication. Lots of encouragement and understanding.

R: Allow use of wheelchair, support aid. Modify rules such as “roll” instead of “throw.”

E: Helmets, gloves, sponge balls.

E: Smaller play areas, artificial turf, exercise mats.

Consider non-competitive games!

If you have a group of kids with different abilities, non-competitive games are always a great option to avoid leaving anyone behind. They allow children to have fun, as well as not feel bad or discouraged if they are not able to do things the way other children can.

If a child has a mobility difficulty, the game must allow the child to stay at one place, or move at his own pace. If a child has hand function disabilities, the game must not have small parts or require fine movements. Some examples of games that you could put into practice include:

Guess the Object: In this game, the conductor has an object which he or she hides in a box. The children have to guess what the object is. They can only ask questions for which the answer is “yes" or “no." Some questions could be: “Is it something we eat? Is it something we play with?”. In this manner, the children collect clues and guess what is hidden in the box.

Blowing the Candle: A set of twenty candles are arranged on a tray. Each child gets the opportunity to come forward and blow three times; the objective is to blow as many candles as possible. This game also helps children to learn about turn taking and improves motor skills that are required for feeding, as well as speech.

Ball Darts: This game requires a cardboard box in which a few holes have been cut out. The children need to take turns and throw a small ball into any one of the holes. If a child has difficulty in using their arms, the box can be brought closer to the child. Otherwise, the holes can be made very big. This game requires visual skills.

Dress-Up Game: A collection of dress-up materials is kept available for the children. One at a time, each child picks up things that they would like to wear and puts it on. Finally, one by one they parade for the rest of the group. A full-size mirror will make dressing up more fun.

There are many other options you can try to help all kids to have fun and enjoy their time with each other! Think about their needs and don’t hesitate to adapt any game and turn it in their favor. At Autism Soccer, we’re specialists in playing with children and develop their abilities at their own pace. Call us and find out more about our activities!

Source: Bright Hub Education, Singapur Disability Sports Council