The second day we went we found his team and got his shirt (which he refused to put on) and he clung to my side. I went out onto the field with him and stood by him as the kids were going through their little routines but he refused to participate at all. We knew this was probably going to be how he dealt with it because new situations freak him out. We debate constantly whether or not to even sign him up for things like this because we have no idea if we are traumatising him by making him go or traumatising him by not signing him up?
Anyway - he loves anything sport related so we figured we would give this a try. When we left the pitch after the first practise Shel said she thought it might be too much for him. We hope that now he is speaking more he will tell us, but it is SOOO hard with a kid with sensory integration issues - does he even understand it enough to tell us if it is too much for him?
On the other hand it takes SOOO long for him to warm up to something do we just go once and then decide to quit? I know when we started him into the early intervention program this year I was ready to pull him out after a month of craziness but that program has done wonders for him.
SOOOO........ we decided to go to soccer again.
Attempt numero deux....
Well he DID touch the ball and even leave my side but he would not go near the other kids. He took his ball and played on the back side of the goal, but he was happy as a lark so we just let him go for it.
And then he was done.
And then he and his brother found the bridge from nowhere to nowhere and thought it was the greatest thing EV-ER and they played on the bridge longer than he played soccer! Oh well. The fact that he and brother are playing together so well is such a joy to watch. So the bridge it was.
3 comments:
You've got to try stuff to get him more comfortable ... good for you!
That bridge does look like fun :)
I think you're doing exactly the right thing so you don't need to doubt your instincts. You expose him to new experiences, but in a safe environment and let him decide his own pace.
Very guess-the-celebrity mystery pictures, but even without seeing his face he looks so cute. Toddlers have the most adorable body language.
Oh I don't think he's alone in taking time to warm up to activities - myself as a very shy child reacted in much the same way. Given a choice I would have headed for the hills (or that bridge to nowhere) but since my parents kept me going, I eventually discovered it wasn't as scary or awful as I imagined it might be. It wasn't always roses, mind you, but you learn from the thorns too.
Post a Comment