After many years of working alongside children with additional needs and being a mother to two boys on the autism spectrum, I was no stranger to the social prejudice and lack of opportunity for children with special educational needs to access opportunities for hobbies and sports.
There is very little provision for these children to explore, play, socialise and exercise; and existing groups tend not to cater to children with additional needs.
As a mother you wish for your children to access and experience all life has to give, and to be active and happy. Sports and hobbies are particularly important for children; they offer routine, a sense of purpose, the feeling of being part of a team, social experiences, active play and learning as well as many health benefits.
For children with neurological conditions such as Autism Spectrum Disorder or ADHD, exercise is particularly important. It can help to calm a dysregulated child, it can offer the sensory input a child may need, it offers great proprioceptive feedback, offers focus, release of energy and can provide a routine.
Being aware of the lack of provision for SEND children and the desire from other parent carers being apparent, I decided to set up my own group designed specifically for children with additional needs. I approached many organisations, did a lot of research and bit the bullet. I applied for funds, secured a provision, insurance, wrote the policies and procedures, created a risk assessment, hired the coaches, scouted for volunteers and advertised our multi-skills sports group designed specifically for SEND children.
It was important to me that as a group we allowed parents to access a ‘pay per session’ rather than membership as I understand that challenges arise and children cannot be committed to weekly participation. I also wanted there to be a sensory calm space for a child to leave if they felt overwhelmed, a place for parents and children to stay and watch, join in and make friends with similar minded people.
I made sure that the cost per session was affordable and we provide a fruit snack and bottle of water to help with the transition to home time when the session ends and to regulate blood sugar.
I remember the night before the very first session my feelings of anxiety. What if nobody turns up? What if a child were to fall and hurt themselves? I need not have worried, the session was a success.
As my team started to develop and design sessions for the needs of our attendees, word started to spread and demand became so great that we set up an additional two sessions a week. An additional needs sports group now has over 70 families on the books, runs three sessions a week and has attendees travelling from other communities to access our inclusive sports sessions.
When covid is all but over, we cannot wait to continue to grow and expand to welcome more families on the waiting list. Becoming the additional needs ambassador for Parent+ has meant that I have been able to better support the parents of our attendees, and it helps to keep me informed of local funding schemes, support networks and organisations. I am passionate about inclusion and supporting parents of children with needs and I feel we have a lot more work to do.
I Implore everyone who has a dream, everyone who identifies a gap in any aspect of life to put any doubts to bed and be proactive in making those dreams come to life, fill those voids and give it a try. If all fails at least you tried. But the likelihood is you won’t fail and you may just find your new passion in life.
You can access the Additional Needs Sports Group page here: https://www.facebook.com/inclusivesportsforchildrenwithsen

https://www.facebook.com/MentalHealthNetworkHoniton