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Dr. Elaine McHugh, Associate Professor, Sonoma State University provided
this great example a real life integration story.
'What I remember about learning to ride a bike is my father running
along beside me on the street in front of the house where I grew up,
his hand on the back of the seat, calling out words of encouragement.
Then he let go, and off I rode. Perhaps I've shortened the process
in my memory, but I am quite sure it felt exciting and self-affirming
- what a sense of empowerment and freedom! Bicycling has been an important
element of my life every since that time.
Learning to ride was different for my daughter Angela. She was 8
years old when I adopted her, following a tunultuous early childhood.
I remember running along beside her, just like my father had, calling
out words of encouragement, But the same techniques didn't work with
my daughter. The process lasted a long time and was full of emotional
tensino and numerous falls and scrapes. She finally mastered this
skill, but not easily. I doubt her memories are as homogeneously positive
as mine.
Since this was fefore my career in adapted physical education began,
I knew little at the time about teaching children with these kinds
of challenges. I struggled along with her. If only I had know then
what I know now . . .
What made our experiences so different? I was a typically-developing
child; Angela experienced a multitude of developmental challenges.
She had learning disabilities and her motor skills were delayed:
she moved awkwardly and tentatively when we first met. (Intensive
practice in the kinds of activities that appealed to her eventually
brought positive results - in dance and judo, for example, she eventually
did very well.)
Everyone's experience is unique, but many families have experienced
a struggle similar to ours when it comes to learning to ride a bicycle.
The equipment that is available commercially is just not adequate
for some children. Training wheels do not teach the steering and balancing
skills necessary for riding a two-wheeler. Some of us learn to ride
anyway, but for some children the transition from training wheels
to a two-wheeler is too great. These kids - many of them with identified
disabilities - may give up before they learn, or parents may turn
to three-wheeled adapted bikes.
When children are not able to ride a conventional two-wheeler, they
miss out on a myriad of experiences - casual riding with peers and
family, parties or vacations focused around riding, or even transportation
to school and community activities. Negative consequences for self-esteem
and self-efficacy accompany this failure.
We now have an alternative to the traditional methods that works
for many children who have previously failed. Dr. Richard Klein, a
retired engineer from the University of Illinois, has developed a
series of adapted bikes that give children like Angela the time and
the support needed to learn the skills for riding a two-wheeler. Over
the past few years, bike camps at several locations around the country
have shown that children with a variety of disabilities can learn
to ride within a relatively short period of time. The new methods
and equipment have been applied successfully for children with Down
syndrome, autism, mild cerebral palsy, and other developmental delays.
I have been fortunate to be involved in one of these camps, at Sonoma
State University in northern California. Seeing children who have
experienced multiple failures succeed is an emotional, uplifting experience
- it's what we adapted physical educators live for and thrive on.
here's an anecdote that illustrates what makes it all worthwhile:
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