dyslexic and basketball

If she has trouble following verbal directions, it could be an auditory processing problem. http://pages.cthome.net/cbristol/ has good information about CAPD, symptoms, treatment, etc.

You may also want to check out Audiblox (http://www.audiblox2000.com) if sequencing is a problem. Audiblox has exercises to develop both visual and auditory sequencing and short-term memory. Many dyslexics have difficulties with sequencing, and Audiblox tends to be very helpful with this.

Personally, I would take an 8yo out of basketball if she is nervous and confused about it when the other girls are getting it. There are other sports activities that are healthy, and basketball can always be re-visited later. I would go by what your daughter wants to do, and is comfortable with. My 11yo daughter has been going to an art class once a week for the last three years and has been very happy with that. We recently put up a basketball hoop next to the driveway, and she is enjoying that also now (much better than I am!). She never liked basketball in gym settings — too noisy.

Mary

You might also look for a different sport. My CAPD child (and following directions are a hallmark) loves soccer. He had a great coach who I told about him being CAPD and he would demonstrate things to him. He would also ask him which hand was his right or left (to make the point of which side of the field he was supposed to be on). But basketball is really fast moving and it may just not be her thing.

He didn’t like baseball nearly as well and refused to even try basketball, although I am not sure why.

Of all the spports opportunities, basketball is one of the most taxing as far as having to attend to multiple things happening at the same time, in three dimensions, mind you. At least in baseball or softball, you know what direction to run and you have time to stop and think!
There’s more to “succeeding” in a sport than playing well, of course. Games are only a small percentage of the time. If she finds a niche as a supportive and enthusiastic participant in her own way, it can be an important place for her to develop physical, social and leadership skills. If that’s happening, I wouldn’t let the fact that she prefers to cheer from the bench (but will get out there and give it her all when it’s her turn) make me undo the other potential good. Exercise and fitness are incredibly underrated for our kids, and the discpline of a sport (if it’s coached well) reall is a good thing.
Lots of kids do a lot better in a more individual team sport though — psychologically it’s a lot less aggravating to bring up the rear in a track meet or a swim meet because you haven’t kept your star athlete from taking first place… but if you drop that pass, you’ve messed it up for everybody and everybody knows it. And the slower you are, the better the workout you get ‘cause you’re spending less time between laps :)

We have had great success with Tae Kwon Do, a Korean martial art. My son started TKD before we knew about his learning difficulties, and I credit his participation in the sport to a lot of the progress he’s made. He had some difficult times with the sport, too, but I believe it helped his sequencing, concentration, visual memory, and persistance. He has mainly liked it through 6 years of participation and recently wrote about starting TKD as one of the most significant events of his life.

Go with what she wants to do. My 8 yr. old son and I recently had a similar but hockey-related crisis. We’re Canadian, so the local boy culture is hockey mad.When my LD son wanted to play, I thought, “Oh oh!” His skating skills were pretty rudimentary, but he was so keen I signed him up, knowing he’d be a little out of the loop. (Most kids here start playing at 4; my son at 7 was a geriatric beginner on top of being LD!) First year went fine, despite his being the only non-scorer. Yr. 2, bigger, faster, more skilled kids & dawning self-awareness. Suddenly I couldn’t get him out the door for it. I told him I felt his behaviour was telling me he didn’t want to play; I’d take him out pronto if he liked. 1st response: —“I like hockey, but I just follow the action, never get my stick on the puck, don’t understand the position the coach is giving me. I’ll never be any good, so what’s the point?”. Finally, “Mum, can I change my mind?” Basically, he loves the game, says, “I don’t care if I’m not scoring; skating is exercise; it’s fun; I like the kids. I’m better at sports I do on my own, but hockey is a game I want to play all my life!” A call to the coach helped with his knowing the position, and I notice they give him extra 1 on 1 now. Now I tell him once when it’s time to go; he gets all his gear on himself and says now that he’s got such big muscles, he, not I, should carry his hockey bag (a task he previously refused). Tell your dd what you’ve observed and give her the option.

You need to find what she has a love for. For my son it was basketball, but this might not be for your child. My son loved basketball and was very good at shooting and moving with the ball as soon as he picked one up. I first put him into summer basketball day camps. He was a little nervous but was great at the skills. When I would watch, I could see that he was not picking up everything. I would go over things at home, he would say, “Oh that’s what he wants me to do” and could do it fine the next day. When he joined a team he was great at practice but would be on the wrong side during the game. The noise of the court, the lights, and the other players were very distracting to him. I knew he had the skills down better than most kids his age but I was not sure if he could compete on a team. Well …… he stuck with it (His choice) and now he is in his 4th season and is the best on his team. It has helped with his self-esteem and how to cope with all the other things that he was having trouble with. But I don’t think he could have done this if he didn’t have a passion for the sport.
Brenda