The benefits of trampolines for kids with Autism; one family's story
What conditions we have collectively in the house
Autism and mental illness are words experienced daily within our family. All four of us suffer in some form; Anxiety, ADHD, ADD, ASD, ODD, and depression. Every day is unpredictable and brings challenges and as parents of 2 boys under 12, we're exhausted.
From early on I knew there was something different about my sons. My firstborn spontaneously lashed out at other children. He was aggressive and attached to me. He had ear infections constantly and he couldn’t speak as well as the other children. When my second son was born a year and a half later he constantly tried to hurt him. The first time he met him in the hospital he threw a toy train at his new brother’s head. From then on things only became worse.
Challenging brother relationship
Never are the boys to be left alone together. Even to this day, 9.5 years later, my eldest initiate trouble or hurts his brother in some way. You see, even though he looks just like other children when he walks down the street, he suffers badly from ADD, ASD, Anxiety, and ODD. When we go out, we have escape routes planned just in case of a meltdown. We have foods he likes, and we plan fidget toys ready to give him. A fun day out can become a nightmare at the drop of a pin.
My youngest son has Anxiety, ADHD and ODD. He never stops. From the time he wakes up to the time he goes to bed he has to be doing something. If he stops the anxiety creeps in and he becomes angry. He feels left out and as much as we try to spend time with him, it is never enough. Let’s face it, he doesn’t have a great environment, but we try and keep our small family together. He now has a lock on his door so that he has somewhere safe to go.
Finding what works for us
The one area we spend a lot of time is in our backyard. We made it kid-friendly. We have the cubby house down in the back corner, with chalk paint for walls. We have the boxing bag hanging, just hoping that one day he will learn to use it instead of hitting us. We have a basketball ring, but the most used item is the trampoline.
A 9x14ft trampoline provides plenty of room for the two kids. When the two kids are on it together, we make rules around who uses what part of the trampoline, using the cross in the middle as a reference point. A large balance ball offers my oldest child sensory stimulation while also bouncing. He lays across the ball and does a bounce roll. We play steam rollers, where we roll up and down the trampoline and pretend to roll over each other.
Invading planets is a game where we throw balls in the air and then try and dodge them when they land. The extrasensory of the bounce in the mat fulfills his sensory needs. The net around the outside makes him feel secure while having the pads on the inside helps him to know when to stop, instead of hitting the net directly and getting a squashed face (we find he doesn’t really like the feel of the net on his body).
During Summer we put a misting system around the top. Both kids love jumping under it and my oldest enjoys just laying on the mat and doing small bounces with the mist enveloping him. My youngest child is the opposite. When he is on the trampoline it's all about activity. He bounces and flips and tries new tricks until he’s tired. He brings around his friends so that they can all play on it together. Then on a hot day, once everyone is tired, they climb underneath on the wet rubber tiles or lay in the toddler pool and eat icy poles while being shaded by the mat. At night, the fluffy blankets come out and we lay on the trampoline and look at the stars. The little bounces when someone moves create extra relaxation.
My trampoline recommendation for families like ours
If someone asked me what I would buy for children like mine, a trampoline would be the first on my list. A rectangle trampoline rather than a round though, to create the easy points of reference and the length to roll and flip on. I also find that the rectangle fits better in the backyard as you don’t seem to have as much wasted space around it as what we had with a round trampoline
Thank you to this mum for writing this heartfelt article for us to share and hopefully connect with other families in a similar situation - we want you to know you are not alone. If you do need to talk to someone about your trampoline needs for your kids or bring them to our Geelong warehouse to test which would be right for your family, know you can safely call us to discuss your specific needs. Julie
