1. Put on a HAPPY face! Most special needs children will be drawn to personalities that are a bit more outgoing and cheerful. Shyness makes connections tough, so please work to be a ray of sunshine for your friend! They love being silly, talking, dancing all of it! Of course, there are times when your special needs friend is very shy and being overly loud/outgoing can intimidate him/her, so we are relying on you to read them and act accordingly.
2.Ask questions about yourf riend. Even if you know the answer from info you have received, its a great way to break the ice. How old are you? Where do you go to school? Whats your favorite part of your day? Do you like Disneyland? Do you like Minecraft etc etc. Little questions to pull out information and start growing your connection. Tell them about YOU. They want to hear who you are, what YOU like to do, how many brothers and sisters you haveetc.
3.Prepare your friend ahead of time. Before making a change/transition it is helpful to give a heads up to your friend. Many children/adults with special needs are comforted by routine, and when things change it can cause fear/negative behaviors, so a simple advance notice like "ok, we are going to put our glove down in two minutes then get ready to line up" or "alright this is your last time to bat, then the game will be over soon" can make a big difference.
4. Bathroom/Snack breaks. Kids are smart! If they feel unsure or nervous in a new environment they will use escape tactics to get away from their situation. These can be asking to use the restroom over and over, or wanting to eat. If your special needs friend asks to use the restroom, you should assume they are needing to so you will walk him/her to their parent and explain that you will wait for him/her. If he/she wants to eat, try explaining that he/she can eat when the game is over. If he/she is persistent, maybe offer a distraction like tossing the ball back and forth, watching a video on your phone, etc. If none of those work, walk him/her to their parent. Our goal is to keep them on the field for the entire game, which is about an hour.
5. You MUST be on REMIND to stay in the communication loop. Its a free app, and will get you the info you need about upcoming events. To join, install the REMIND app and then text 81010, in the message field type @teamdixon3. Also, for our Dixon High students, remember to join our on-campus club, Dream Team!
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