How to get your Learning Disabled Child integrated into the Community

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by Merely Me
Monday, January 25, 2010

If you have a child with a learning disability or special needs you may wonder about how to get them more active and social with kids their own age.  In addition to school, there are also marvelous opportunities to get them out and about in your community. One of the best ways I have found to get my Max involved with the community is through classes and programs offered by our Parks and Recreation, local businesses, and non-profit organizations.  Almost every community has a free newsletter or magazine highlighting the classes and/or programs offered by your town or city.  Recreational and learning activities can also be found at small businesses catering to children who wish to learn gymnastics, dance, sports, or music.  There are also non-profit organizations which support activities for children and adults with a particular disability.  I will now describe the many opportunities for fun, social interaction, and learning that we have discovered over the years.  It may take some research and some phone calls but I am confident that you too, can find numerous possibilities for your child to become more fully integrated into your community.

When Max was preschool age we seemed to have a huge selection of activities to choose from in our community.  At this time we began taking Max to Kindermusik and he loved it.  It is a little pricey but well worth it in my opinion.  They have classes for families with newborns all the way up to age seven or eight.  Most classes are about thirty minutes and what I like about it is that parental involvement is encouraged.  They usually have some sort of theme like nursery rhymes, for example.  What I also liked about Kindermusik is that it is a very active class, the kids don't just sit there but there is a quick pacing and physical activity so that your child doesn't get bored.  They were very welcoming of Max and had no issues with his having autism.  We would just explain at the beginning of the class session what autism was and how it affects Max.  The other parents and kids were supportive and helpful to Max.  It was such a good experience that we kept going there until Max aged out of the program.

Also during the preschool age we found a local business which offered gymnastics classes.  This was a perfect way to get Max some much needed physical activity and also we could use some of the equipment to do occupational therapy exercises recommended by Max's occupational therapist.  We used the same procedure as with Kindermusik in that we explained about Max's disability prior to signing up for the class.  We found that much like the music class, the gymnastics class was very accommodating to Max and his needs.  He was allowed to participate in the group activities at his own pace.  I have found that being up front about your child's needs is the best way so that there are no surprises for anyone and your child can get the maximum benefit out of the class.  Max also loved this class and we ended up going there for many years.