Battling Austism and Asperger’s through soccer
September 9, 2011
Alex Rogers in action during training this week.
SPORT has the capacity to act as a universal language, bringing people of different races, religions, and cultural backgrounds together.
It can also be a way to open individuals up to new experiences, which is the case for two Sunraysia youngsters.
Alex Rogers, 7, and Jasper Rayson, 8, are using sport – namely soccer – to help cope with social-debilitating conditions, with Alex suffering from Asperger’s Syndrome, and Jasper from Autism.
Participating in regular soccer sessions with Football Federation Victoria Sunraysia Regional Administrator, Ross Mosello, Alex’s parents – Belinda and Darren Rogers – and Jasper’s mum – Rowena Rayson – said the program had so far had a positive impact on both young boy’s lives.
“Jasper has only participated in two sessions so far, with the response fantastic,” Rowena said. “Just to see him taking an interest in something new, build confidence, and socialise with different people is extremely encouraging.
“Jasper actually has an older brother who plays soccer, so it’s a bit of interest for him, and it’s great to find a program that can cater for someone who has Autism.”
Belinda said that for Alex, the program had helped him come out of his shell, with interacting with new people and new routines usually a troubling prospect for the youngster.
“Alex is the type of kid who likes to be in his own world and do his own thing – a trait common for those with Asperger’s,” she said.
“He’s never been one to interact well with others, which makes seeing how well he interacts with Ross a great positive.”
For those unfamiliar with either condition, Autism is a disorder that first appears during infancy or early childhood, and is distinguished by a number of traits – namely those that impair an individual’s ability to socially interact with others.
Children suffering from Autism usually display restricted interests and repetitive behaviour, while also lacking communication skills.
Asperger’s Syndrome is a form of high-functioning Autism, with the syndrome similarly characterised by abnormalities in social interaction and communication.
People diagnosed with Asperger’s are also restricted by repetitive interests and behaviour, which often results in them retreating into their own ‘world.’
Both young boys have been living with their respective conditions since the age of two, with both Rowena and Belinda saying it had, at times, been a struggle.
“You do have those difficult moments,” Belinda said. “You just want what’s best for your child, and it can be really frustrating seeing them get worked up over something that wouldn’t upset other children.”
For both boys, their respective symptoms started in infancy, with loss of speech, falling into repetitive behaviours, and not responding to the call of their own names just some of the tell-tale signs that something was wrong.
“For Jasper it was his speech that alerted us to something possibly being wrong,” Rowena said. “It was actually something his grandmother said to me, she simply asked ‘when is he going to start calling me Nan again?’”
Both boys were eventually referred on to experts – after visiting their local GP – before participating in Applied Behaviour Therapy, early intervention programs, speech therapy, and a host of other initiatives designed to help them socially interact with the world and people around them.
Programs that have so far had a dramatic impact on both youngster’s lives.
It’s those same aims and goals that this particular program is trying to achieve, by engaging both Jasper and Alex through sport. The aim is to build up their social and life skills, while also exposing the youngsters to an active way of life.
“I see it as a great excuse for Jasper to get out of the house, interact with someone different, and just enjoy being outside,” Rowena said.
Sessions are currently being restricted to 20 to 30 minutes for both boys – who are currently taking part in individual sessions – with the goal to eventually bring the youngsters together.
“Alex still struggles being around other kids, and the goal is to slowly let him get used to Jasper, and then take part in the session with him,” Belinda said.
“It’s another step toward building both boys’ confidence levels, and helping to establish better social skills.”
Jasper Rayson in action.
After researching other programs taking place around the country, Belinda stumbled onto soccer, and was eventually told to contact Ross, who was only too happy to run a coaching session for Alex.
“Darren has a friend who plays in the local league, and it was actually his idea to contact Ross and see if we could make something happen,” she said.
“The response was just overwhelming, the moment I told Ross what we wanted to do he immediately jumped on board, and offered to run the session free of charge.”
“It’s not that often that you find people so wonderful, and we’re just gobsmacked over how enthusiastic and generous Ross has been.”
After a successful first session, Belinda asked Ross if he would be interested in running similar sessions for other local kids affected by Asperger’s and Autism, with the response a resounding yes.
She soon used her contacts through the Sunraysia Autism Support Group to help spread the word, with Rowena learning of the program through the Mildura Specialist School’s newsletter – where Jasper is a student.
“I immediately jumped at the idea,” she said. “And after one session Jasper was hooked.”
It’s a program that Ross said he was keen to offer to others in the community.
“I see numerous benefits for kids like Alex and Jasper to take part in sports like soccer,” he said. “Not only is it good from a physical perspective, but socially it is also worthwhile.”
Ross said that most importantly it was an exercise the kids themselves could get a lot of joy out of, opening up a new world of possibilities.
“Just seeing the look of joy on both Jasper’s and Alex’s face when they kick the ball around is what this game is all about – giving everyone a go and having fun,” he said.
“There are a few other kids who might be interested, and if so I’m more than happy to make time for them.”
More information is available by contacting Ross on 0410 557 485, with more information about the Sunraysia Autism Support Group available by contacting Belinda on 0409 260 156.
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We have a son with Autism are are going to try him out in soccer this year. We tried him a few years ago and it didn’t go very well so we are going to try again.
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