GURUGRAM: Every day, Special Assisted Sports Academy in Sector 49 turns into an oasis of hopes for 10 children with special needs. Swimming classes are held on a regular basis to ensure that kids with disorders can come into the regular life easily.
A group of 10 children, suffering from Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Autism and Pervasive Development Disorder (PDD), splash around in the pool, learning to swim under the hawk-eyed guidance of Surender Kumar — sports coach, Special Olympics Bharat. This swimming centre is, perhaps, one of the very few pools in the country that encourages kids with disabilities to take up swimming not just as therapy but also competitively.
Anita, the person who runs this academy, said, “The idea is to give these kids a platform to play after school hours or on weekends like any other regular kids. Differently abled children do best with individual sports, with swimming being the top game.”
Teaching these kids hasn’t been a cakewalk. Anita recalls one of the kids who would be aggressive every time she tried to teach him a simple technique. “There are many kids who struggle and be hyper aggressive in the pool, but the job of the coach is to tone them down. Kids, who learn to swim, also gather patience that helps them take a step towards normal life,” said Anita.
The biggest challenge is getting the right talent to run this facility. Coaches need to be trained on regular basis both on handling the kids with sensitivity, patience, and love besides technical skills. They also need to build trust with these children. “You can never force them into doing something they don’t want to. Once they get comfortable with you, they have the ability to learn much faster,” said Kumar.
“The kids often get irritated easily and until they get an answer, which they think is right, they will not stop probing. For instance, one of the kids asked one of the coaches, where do you keep all the water when you empty it. So the instructors too have to be patient with them,” added Anita.