How to Coach a Special Needs Kid in Rec Ball

[IndyHScoach]

As a coach and a special education teacher I am so happy to read some of the great responses. My two cents echos that of many previously. Talk to the parents and ask what they want out of their daughter participating. Talk to your players and allow them to learn how to be a great teammate this season. That does not mean you have to sacrifice being competitive. I would also suggest that you talk to each coach and umpire about her and her level. Some umpires can help without adjusting rules and being unfair.

In these situations, little battles can be the most rewarding. Maybe work on one thing at a time. Like teaching her to make contact at the plate or just stopping a ground ball. I also agree a facemask at all times is a must. Find helpful things for her to do in the dugout too. (I do not know her level but sometimes feeling important to the team will make it more fun for her.) Let her help you coach from the dugout some. (If you do this let the other players know that you are trying to let her be as much a part of the team as possible.)

And most importantly be very careful, a winning smile of accomplishment from these kids will melt your heart. (Worth more than gold!) Enjoy!

 

[Lemond]

As a coach and a special education teacher I am so happy to read some of the great responses. My two cents echos that of many previously. Talk to the parents and ask what they want out of their daughter participating. Talk to your players and allow them to learn how to be a great teammate this season. That does not mean you have to sacrifice being competitive. I would also suggest that you talk to each coach and umpire about her and her level. Some umpires can help without adjusting rules and being unfair.

In these situations, little battles can be the most rewarding. Maybe work on one thing at a time. Like teaching her to make contact at the plate or just stopping a ground ball. I also agree a facemask at all times is a must. Find helpful things for her to do in the dugout too. (I do not know her level but sometimes feeling important to the team will make it more fun for her.) Let her help you coach from the dugout some. (If you do this let the other players know that you are trying to let her be as much a part of the team as possible.)

And most importantly be very careful, a winning smile of accomplishment from these kids will melt your heart. (Worth more than gold!) Enjoy!

Ditto that, and I told you so!!

Thought of a couple of more things. One, in relation to talking to the parents, make sure you understand if there are any known triggers. The girl on my son's LL team had a trigger with loud clapping, which we did not know until we started to do some pre-game cheers. Some will never get past these, but for us, we were able to coach her into the cheer circle but facing away from the noise by the end of the season.

Second, similar to Indy's comments, teach her how/when to cheer/encourage her teammates. It will help her understand the game and when to expect cheers for her, as well.

 

[sluggers]

My advice: Work only on hitting. Put her in RF.

I've spent 40+ years involved with coaching in one way or the other. One of the best things I ever did was coach a special needs kid.

I worked with that kid on hitting every practice. At the end of the season, he drilled one up the middle.

The kid got a standing ovation from the crowd. He was beaming. His parents were ecstatic.