Extreme Sports with Autism?!
Posted by Liz Shelley on Tue, Sep 08, 2009 @ 08:04 AM
This is really interesting-I just had to share this one.
ABC recently ran a story about a camp in Colorado that supports extreme sports for Autistic kids. It's just that-extreme from the outsiders view of using extreme sensory overload for Autistic kids.
This is a bit extreme of a comparison, but I can't help but think about Cesar Millan, the Dog Whisperer and the fact that he has the same thought process as what Doug Gilstrap states in the article. First you exercise the dog-run them, run them hard and then their resistance is less. Then they can listen and focus more. It seems the same kind of applies with these kids?
It's a simple formula-but extreme sports? What about the overstimulation that can cause HUGE ramifications with Autism? Send a camper off the deep end, or cause them to shut down?
With regards to Autistic kids and adults on a horse and using horse therapy I can see the correlation. Using physical strength to stay on the horse, to be high off the ground, on an animal, and to be learning and having fun. Just not so EXTREME!
It's all good.