The Scooter Board

While some children with Asperger’s syndrome are well co-ordinated and agile, others can have problems with their gross motor skills appearing clumsy or awkward in their movements, with poor co-ordination. Gross motor skills require the larger muscle groups to function for skills such as running, skipping, hopping, jumping and climbing. Difficulties in children with Asperger’s may be caused by lack of confidence, limited strength, difficulty problem solving to achieve a desired result, avoidance or lack of motivation and awareness of body.

With these factors in mind it is important to consider how best to introduce something that may be new and beneficial to your child, without causing anxiety or fear.

The scooter board is a small piece of equipment that a child can lay on, kneel on, push or be pushed on. It is great for children with a range of abilities, is suitable for ages 3 and up and will hold up to 80kg! It will assist in developing gross motor skills, co-ordination, balance and kinesthetic awareness. The child gets on the board, holds onto the handles and then moves their body around on the board to move the scooter board in any direction.

New activities need to be introduced in a gradual and supportive way so that the child is able to participate with minimal fear or anxiety. Confidence needs to be built up gradually, so the use of any new piece of equipment needs to be implemented in the most basic of ways to begin with until the child is comfortable. The beauty of the scooter board is that it is ideal for this type of use; graduating from the simplest use to increasing skill over time.

Anything new may be resisted initially, but the variety of uses for the scooter board makes it ideal for a variety of levels of participation.