When: Monday July 12th– Friday July 16th, 9:00am-12:00pm– ages 9-12, 12:30pm-3:30pm-ages 13-16
Where: Confederation Park North Vancouver, BC
Program: The I CAN Play Soccer program has been specifically designed to promote the physical and social development of children with autism by providing an environment and pace of instruction that is modified to meet their needs. Siblings are welcome to participate and share in the positive experience while parents have a moments rest. Each day will consist of an hour of soccer skills followed by games and an arts and crafts activity.
To Register: Fill out the application form and submit it by fax to 604-685-4018 or scan and email it to sportsadmin@canucksautism.ca.
The I CAN Play Sports Series is designed to provide participants with the opportunity to develop skills and confidence in an environment that is supportive and inclusive of everyone regardless of ability. Programs in this series feature Soccer, Swimming and Skating with more activities planned for 2011.
Ages: 7-15
The I CAN Play Soccer program has been specifically designed to promote the physical and social development of children with autism by providing an environment and pace of instruction that is modified to meet their needs. Siblings are welcome to participate and share in the positive experience while parents have a moments rest.
The specific soccer skills the program focuses on are dribbling, passing, and shooting. Each activity is done as a team to encourage social development and friendship. The focus of these activities is on team building, listening skills, following directions, taking turns and leadership skills.
The coaches and one-to-one workers adapt the program to the needs of the participants. Such adaptations include putting tape on the floor to mark the spot where participants sit to ensure their personal space and marking the balls with a colour to prevent participants from stealing other participant’s balls. These mindful alterations help ensure that the program runs smoothly for all enrolled.
There is a visual schedule that is used throughout the lesson to guide the participant. Between every activity there is a team meeting in which focus is brought to the next activity. Each activity is broken down and explained using a white board as a visual aid.
Ages: 7-15
I CAN Swim classes contain a maximum of 5 participants in a half hour lesson; the goal of the I CAN Swim program is to teach basic swimming skills and to introduce water safety. Each week the same basic skills will be covered, however the skill levels are modified to recognize the varying abilities of the participants. The instructor, coaches and volunteers support participants to ensure that each child is challenged appropriately based on their ability.
The first 20 minutes of each lesson will consist of skill development and will be dependent on the abilities of the individual participants. For some, the task will be as simple as putting their face in the water, while others may be ready to move into more complicated exercises.
The final 10 minutes of the lesson will consist of an unstructured lesson designed to increase comfort level and confidence in the water. Volunteers and instructors will guide children through activities where they can interact with one another, play games or explore the many places in the pool while accompanied by a volunteer. Games and equipment, including life jackets, will be available for use.
To decrease the anxiety of the participants, picture symbols will be used to represent each activity. The picture symbols will also be used in the form of a visual schedule. At the start of the lesson, the instructors will have the symbols in the order the day’s activities. In addition, if necessary, they will also have a “first/then” board to help with the flow of the lesson. The symbols used will be accessible to parents who wish to familiarize their child with the symbols before each lesson.
Ages: 7-15
The I CAN Skate program is an adapted skating program for children with autism, designed to teach the basic skating skills. The goal of the I CAN Skate program is to increase the participants ability to skate, increasing their ability to engage in skating opportunities in their community. The pace of the class is adjusted for the various skill levels of the participants involved. Having a skilled instructor and strong volunteer support allows the participants to have a positive skating experience.
This program is designed to teach basic skating skills. The start of the program will focus on allowing participants to become comfortable on skates, using devices t0 assist when necessary, and moving towards small independent forward movements. The next stage will focus on posture and body position, and then on stopping, turning and moving backwards.
To decrease the anxiety of the participants, picture symbols will be used to represent each activity. The picture symbols will also be used in the form of a visual schedule. At the start of the lesson, the instructors will have the symbols in the order the day’s activities. In addition, if necessary, they will also have a “first/then” board to help with the flow of the lesson. The symbols used will be accessible to parents who wish to familiarize their child with the symbols before each lesson.
