Special Needs Skiers

[Carolinacub]

Lets talk a little about the special needs skiers that we have coming to our mountains. I'm not talking about the folks who use adaptive gear to enjoy the mountain but the people with learning issues such as autism.

We have a teenager who has been coming to our local mountain for years with his dad who is a pretty fair skier. Now I have to give dad some serious credit. This young man is an absolute handful. Most of us who work here at the mountain know him and his father and we try to keep an eye on him as much as possible. One of the things about "Sam" is that he observes what going on around him closely and on occasion will try to emulate what he has seen. For example he watches the snow makers do their work so he knows which switch turns the guns on and off and more than once has walked up to gun and shut if off because he was "helping". I've also seen him come up to a toboggan we have posted on the mountain and try to move it, again because he's "helping". This all sounds worse than it really is because we really do have a lot of eyes on him and dad is never far away so all this type of stuff ends up being pretty harmless. And yes I know that there can be dangers involved, trust me when I say we don't ignore that aspect of what's going on.

What I'm interested in hearing is how many of you have special needs folks like "Sam" that you watch out for and how do you deal with some of the unique things that they tend to get into. I'm also very interested to hear from you instructors that work with these individuals at ski schools. Do you run separate camps? Do you have anyone with specialized training?

I neglected to say that most of the locals also know "Sam" and keep an eye on him also. You would be absolutely amazed at how many times someone will ski up to me and say "guess what Sam just did".

 

[scott43]

This is an interesting microcosm... Will watch for responses... Spicy meatball sometimes.

 

[kimmyt]

I don't have experience here but I believe that the Adaptive program at my local accomodates special needs students in addition to differently abled students. I've spent quite a bit of time on the bunny slopes this year (teaching my own kids to ski) and noticed that typically they pair one special needs student with anywhere from 1-3 instructors or maybe one instructor and a few volunteers as the adaptive program relies heavily on volunteers.

 

[crgildart]

We have a couple kids in our scout troop on the spectrum, but probably not that far out. A few of the adult leaders know about the need for a little more patience and supervision there, but the other scouts weren't told anything. When my son was a toddler he messed with EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE. Take him to a doctor's office and he's crawling around on the floor under tables and chairs unplugging their computers and stuff. Our house had crazy, next level child proofing. By the time he was about 4 he mellowed out on that. It must be quite a hand full to keep up with a young adult or older teen with that kind of enthusiasm to mettle with things AKA "helping". No doubt it takes a village, Hats off to you for "helping" with that matter

 

[Analisa]

I have a few friends that volunteer with Outdoors For All at Stevens & Snoqualmie, including one who's a pediatric PT. Like @kimmyt mentioned, volunteer support is pivotal. But the organization has some incredible partners who believe it's important to serve individuals with disabilities as well as their families so they can continue doing outdoor activities they love as as a family. So the volunteering comes with some cool perks - PSIA clinics & certification, industry passes for people committed to the full 7 week series, gear pro deals.

In terms of the "helping" behaviors, it might be worth having a chat with his dad. Kids with ASD tend to struggle with helping & sharing behavior, so it might be something they're working on. And if it's quite problematic or dangerous, children with disabilities can handle boundaries and consequences just like kids who don't, but those just might look a little different.

I'd also recommend the PSIA Adaptive resources - it goes beyond how to teach differently-abled skiers and more broadly speaks to how to provide them a safe and positive experience on the mountain.

 

[luliski]

Achieve Tahoe (which I believe grew out of the adaptive program at Alpine Meadows) is great. I know one young man on the spectrum who started skiing with them when he was four years old, and he's skiing really well and can now ski with his family. He does like to fiddle with things (radios, hot tub controls, etc). I think it's more curiosity than helpfulness, honestly.

They have a fundraiser every spring, so if anyone if looking for a cause to support, I believe they are worthy.

 

[jseeski]

National Sports Center for the Disabled at Winter Park, Colorado is one of the original programs for people of all ages with mental and physical challenges. Autism is only one of many conditions that they deal with. They have summer programs as well. At one time, NSCD had nearly 1,000 skiing volunteers, but I've heard rumors that the current operators of the resort don't support the program as well as the city of Denver did when they operated Winter Park. That is just a rumor, however, and may be incorrect.

Beth Fox, who was with NSCD for many years, was also deeply involved in the PSIA Adaptive program.

 

[Carolinacub]

I guess I kind of misstated the things I was hoping to hear from the community. What I was really reaching out for is the more personal stories of how our community embraces the special needs members of the skiing world.

For example we have the local kids that all know "Sam" who tend to shadow him when he's skiing and if he starts to get into something he shouldn't they gently distract him from whatever he's focused on. Something like skiing up next to the guns and getting ready to walk over to them, the kids will call his name until he aknowledges them and they'll entice him to keep going down the hill.

Some of the local parents will give dad a chance to have a bathroom break and do a lap with "Sam".

@Analisa , we have conversations with "Sam" dad regularly and it is something he works on all the time. "Sam" has his boundaries but sometimes they get stretched a bit.
@crgildart , the point you make about the patrol leaders is pretty much what we do here. "Sam" is a little farther out on the spectrum so it's pretty obvious that he has needs. I think that may be why he's been adopted by so many of us here on the mountain.
@jseeski , That's a great organization and I believe they have been one of the driving forces behind some of the adaptive programs in our area.

 

[mikel]

NSCD has an event coming up at Winter Park, the Wells Fargo Cup, starting in about 10 days. I think they are still needing volunteers.

Copper is involved with the winter Special Olympics. This is pretty well attended and draws a lot of skiers for several weeks leading up to the big weekend. I'm not aware of any local to Copper person like Sam. There are usually a lot of volunteers and/or coaches also in attendance. I've had several ski up and want to do a "low five" as they are skiing but that's about all.

 

[Carolinacub]

I think they are still needing volunteers.

Wish I could but I'm stuck here in NC.

 

[Pako]

As a dad of an autistic 17 year old skier the first thing I will tell you about autism is if you met one person with autism then you met one person with autism. They call it a spectrum disorder for a reason. Just because one individual with autism wants to help with running snowguns doesn’t mean they all will. If you want an example go to a special needs soccer game and see all the differences in abilities, some are severe and some you wouldn’t know had autism until you spoke to them.
I started teaching my son to ski when he was 8, he skis the whole mountain with me now. I have no doubt in his ability to ski anything on the mountain, on piste or off. We’re heading to Jackson Hole this weekend for our annual JH trip where me and him live like ski bums just short of sleeping in our truck, he loves it. It was kind of rough starting out but to be quite honest it was harder to teach him to ride a bike than it was to ski (he kicks my butt on mountain bike rides now).
As far as teaching him goes I think it helped me that I’m retired Army and had some experience training troops. I came to the conclusion teaching kids with autism is very similar to teaching troops that are half awake. Tell them what you want them to do, show them what you want them to do, tell them again what you want them to do, let them try it, then do it all over again. As far as formal lessons go we did enroll him in a few adaptive lessons when he was younger at Snowbird (Wasatch Adaptive) and National Ability Center in Park City, but both times they basically told us they really didn’t have to teach him. The instructors said it was just like a day of skiing with their friends as he is a very good skier. I think those programs are more designed for beginner skiers.
As far as the skiing community goes, I don’t think people know he has autism unless they notice him rocking in the lift line or hear him talking on the lift (sometimes he mutters to himself, he’s non-verbal for the most part). I have never had a negative experience with him skiing and we ski about twice a week every winter since he was about 8, except for 1 time that scared the crap out of me. When he was just learning how to ski (around 8 years old), he was kind of following me through some trees at Alta through an area known as Cabin Hill (or something like that). It’s a low angle area that has a lot of trees and gullies etc, just fun to kind of cruise through, not challenging but you can get separated in there easy. Long story short, it was just me and him, I went left, he went right, I fell in a gully...and I had no idea where he was. I didn’t know if he was above me or below me, if he had stopped, if he kept going. He’s non-verbal he won’t respond to me yelling for him. This area is about half way down the mountain, I came out of the trees and he was nowhere. I was flipping out, I asked a few people and nobody saw him. I skied to the base and their he was in the lift line, he went through the gate and was just standing there waiting for me with the lifties just starring at him. That’s when I started using GPS.

 

[beginnerskier96]

My son is physically impaired. How do I get him into the world of skiing?

I want to enrol him in some child friendly skiing lessons but I deeply fear that the ski instructor wont know what to do with his wheelchair. I need some recommendations and tips for finding a ski instructor with experience of physical disabilities. Specifically ones with wheelchair training or paralysis experience. If you have any helpful suggestions, ideas or pieces of advice feel free to share them here.

 

[raytseng]

It is highly locale dependent.
See above where others pointed out their local organizations, some are independent organizations others are affiliated with a resort.
Do you have a local support network where you can ask this or other related questions and trade tips about resources? If not you should seek out that network and join up. What local resources have you found and contacted already?

Once you find the program, they should be able to guide you for your specific case.
If you have no leads, you can call the resort where you intend to ski; and ask them what are their disability programs, if they do not have programs in-house, ask if they know the affiliated or other organization they can refer you to contact.

There is no need to have any fear, if you haven't even gotten any information yet, or committed to a ski lesson.

 

[lisamamot]

@beginnerskier96 , I do not know what is available in your area as I am in the US (New England), but here there are many adaptive programs that use sit skis for participants with varying degrees of paralysis. They match the participant up with instructors who are good fits for the participant. I hope you are able to search out similar programs in your area!

@Carolinacub - your story regarding Sam really shows how very much it takes a village - I love how people at your mountain look out for Sam. I am forever impressed by parents who live day in and out with a child that needs additional attention as it requires a whole new level of patience.

@Pako - I loved reading about your skiing adventures with your son. I can imagine your panic until you found your son at the lift. Hope you have a wonderful time at JH.

I have boy/girl twins that will be 20 this spring. My son had a brain tumor that was discovered when he was 4 1/2; a post-surgical stroke/swelling initially caused him to be paralyzed on his left side, but overall he regained quite a bit of function. He continues to have various physical impairments as well as visual, and although he is cognitively strong, he does have differences - mostly executive functioning, putting concepts together, reading social cues, and a bit of anxiety. He has a seizure disorder that is well controlled with medication. He is in college now - something we weren't sure he would be able to do, and we are super proud of how he is tackling it. He skis with Maine Adaptive at Sunday River over breaks and really enjoys it. He has also used Adaptive services at Wachusett, Loon, Winter Park, and Big Sky. He will free ski with us a bit, but feels most comfortable skiing with the adaptive program. I am forever grateful for these programs.

 

[jseeski]

My son is physically impaired. How do I get him into the world of skiing?

I want to enrol him in some child friendly skiing lessons but I deeply fear that the ski instructor wont know what to do with his wheelchair. I need some recommendations and tips for finding a ski instructor with experience of physical disabilities. Specifically ones with wheelchair training or paralysis experience. If you have any helpful suggestions, ideas or pieces of advice feel free to share them here.

As noted above, you will be dependent on what adaptive programs and equipment are available. Assuming the Surrey given in your location is the one near Vancouver, BC, you might want to contact VASS - Vancouver Adaptive Snow Sports (vass.ca). You will definitely need an adaptive program; a "regular" ski school cannot provide your son with what he needs.

Winter Park, Colorado does have the equipment and appropriately trained instructors, many with PSIA Adaptive certifications. When I was there, someone like your son would be started in a specialized sled with a low center of gravity and two instructors. One would lead and the other would tether, and they would lift the sled onto the chair together. The student has short outriggers, which have short skis on the ends, to be used in place of ski poles. The student can flip the skis up to bring a metal claw into contact with the snow so he can push himself around. Once the student achieves sufficient skill in the sled, they can graduate to a bi-ski or a sit ski, which are higher off the ground with sophisticated suspensions. Many sit skiers are completely independent and do not require a tether or help loading the lift. Like any skiing, achieving a higher level of skill takes practice and time.

I am aware, however, the Winter Park is a 30-hour drive from Surrey. The brief description is just so you have some idea how one of the more well-known programs in North America works with skiers who cannot stand. On a busy weekend at Winter Park, there would often be any number of wheelchairs, both "standard" and competitive with splayed wheels and knobby tires, simply left among the ski racks at the bottom of the hill.

 

[justplanesteve]

This is one of few relevant posts that came up when i searched "autism" because i need some input.
I have mostly embraced working with people of all ages and abilities who were considered difficult.
I have instructed people presented or "known" to "be on the spectrum". Or kids presented by parents (unfortunately) as merely being difficult and needing force and discipline.
One-on-one, it is easy and even rewarding though often full immersion effort.
IOW, this Q is not about my feelings about my personal interaction/teaching/coaching.

However this year, it has struck me that on multiple occasions, i have been faced with a group class in which one person spent most of the time "throwing temper tantrums".
The matrix is 5 avid eager learners, + one who "melts down" as soon as she is not the center of attention and getting all my personal focus (so far, 3 for 3 have been she's) Ages 5 though 9 or 10. I have always been kind and attentive, until it impacts all the other students. On one occasion after several efforts, i advised "Carla (made up name), you really have a strength for crying. This is a safe space to cry right here by this ski pole. We are working with everyone on this slope right beside you, and when you feel ready, please join us". Then i would check in periodically. After other incidents with other kids, I joked about having a pole and sign made "melt down zone only" and try to keep it a light hearted approach with as much support as one instructor & assistant can provide for a group of 5 or more.
I have been impressed (& initially surprised) when i realized these were not necessarily spoiled kids, after meeting wonderful parents either during or after class.

Then i came home and read the recent New Yorker article and it dawned on me that 2 of the girls with "temper tantrum" issues might well be on the spectrum.
So now i really have to evaluate what is appropriate in a setting as described? From people above who raised kids through this type of scenario? What can i do for the kid, vs what do i owe the other 5 in the group? Ski lessons not being cheap for any parent

 

[scott43]

Interestingly I was talking with someone and they mentioned stimming. It suddenly sounded an awful lot like myself when I was younger. It was really kind of shocking to me and it's dawned on me that there may be more to my life than I'm an antisocial asshole.

 

[zircon]

On one occasion after several efforts, i advised "Carla (made up name), you really have a strength for crying. This is a safe space to cry right here by this ski pole. We are working with everyone on this slope right beside you, and when you feel ready, please join us". Then i would check in periodically. After other incidents with other kids, I joked about having a pole and sign made "melt down zone only" and try to keep it a light hearted approach with as much support as one instructor & assistant can provide for a group of 5 or more.

Then i came home and read the recent New Yorker article and it dawned on me that 2 of the girls with "temper tantrum" issues might well be on the spectrum.
So now i really have to evaluate what is appropriate in a setting as described? From people above who raised kids through this type of scenario? What can i do for the kid, vs what do i owe the other 5 in the group? Ski lessons not being cheap for any parent

Disclaimer: I do not have kids, but I am an adult (diagnosed) on the spectrum and an educator (core academic subject) in a school that does primarily special ed

It sounds from your description that the student is what one would typically term "high functioning" (which is a label with a lot of issues for a lot of reasons—one of which is this. They can get by acting neurotypical enough most of the time that their struggles might be visible) not in the adaptive program. When kids on the spectrum melt down it's because they've reached the limit of their coping skills (sensory, processing speed, specific learning deficit in X or Y area) and their brain just says "no" in the form of what looks like a tantrum.

The bad news is, you may be dealing with a kid who isn't developmentally ready to take group lessons. The autism spectrum comes with cognitive challenges other than the usual suspect social skills. Often, kids can't interpret you talking to a group as talking to them. Direct instruction (one-to-one) is one of the accommodations we make in an education setting for this. Low muscle tone (relative to their peers) and difficulty with either fine or gross motor skills/balance is another big one that we don't talk about. They may be struggling to keep up with the pace of the class and make their body do what you want them to do. Or auditory processing verbal instructions might be really hard for them. Confluence of factors that lead to them getting over threshold. These are things outside your control as someone who has to teach to a group without a lot of additional support.

The good news is, by giving them a safe place to cry and regroup you're doing exactly the right thing. At my school, when kids are overwhelmed there is a non-punitive system to remove them/remove themselves from the classroom, process, and come back when they are more emotionally regulated. Keep it calm and light-hearted. When/if they return, don't make a big deal of it and just treat it as "every day is a new day." Giving them a specific location to go ride it out is a great routine because it makes students feel safe to have predictability in your response. You have a responsibility to the other kids to make sure that this one is safe, but also not disrupt their learning. If there's something you want to add, maybe think of a modified lesson activity that they can feel successful doing that gets to "good enough" if not the full extent of what you were trying to teach. Successive approximation, skiing edition, as it were. You're in an imperfect situation and in a different world, they'd probably have private lessons, but you can't control that and maybe their finances don't allow.

Short version: you're doing it right. Keep doing that.

 

[justplanesteve]

The autism spectrum comes with cognitive challenges other than the usual suspect social skills. Often, kids can't interpret you talking to a group as talking to them.

Whoa - this is really informative and it explains a lot. The constant hanging back but pushing to the front, forcibly interrupting other students to get where the focus is on them.

Direct instruction (one-to-one) is one of the accommodations we make in an education setting for this.

Should there be a form or question in the class application where parents be required to disclose to the director that their child needs special attention and might not be suitable for a group class without multiple instructors? By the time the issues surface, staffing has been assigned based on estimation of abilities and as you put it "neuro-typical" expectations; & the director is probably out of the picture. (I do realize this is something to take up with individual school policy, but does anyone else have examples?)

Low muscle tone (relative to their peers) and difficulty with either fine or gross motor skills/balance is another big one that we don't talk about. They may be struggling to keep up with the pace of the class and make their body do what you want them to do.

I saw this last year. Poor kid was (seemed to be) normal cognitive/interactive otherwise, though others did not treat her as such because her speech was excruciatingly slurred. She had tough parents. OTOH, she still seems to be weak, but thriving and happy this year (as seen around the lodge). I did not realize that was autism spectrum.

Or auditory processing verbal instructions might be really hard for them. Confluence of factors that lead to them getting over threshold. These are things outside your control as someone who has to teach to a group without a lot of additional support.

Thank you for that.

The good news is, by giving them a safe place to cry and regroup you're doing exactly the right thing. At my school, when kids are overwhelmed there is a non-punitive system to remove them/remove themselves from the classroom, process, and come back when they are more emotionally regulated. Keep it calm and light-hearted. When/if they return, don't make a big deal of it and just treat it as "every day is a new day." Giving them a specific location to go ride it out is a great routine because it makes students feel safe to have predictability in your response. You have a responsibility to the other kids to make sure that this one is safe, but also not disrupt their learning. If there's something you want to add, maybe think of a modified lesson activity that they can feel successful doing that gets to "good enough" if not the full extent of what you were trying to teach. Successive approximation, skiing edition, as it were. You're in an imperfect situation and in a different world, they'd probably have private lessons, but you can't control that and maybe their finances don't allow.

This is great information & useful advice.

You can probably tell, until last night reading the New Yorker article, it was easy to puzzle whether this was a behavioral issue in the sense of being "spoiled". My formal printed sign idea was more a joke/casting about for something that would not be overly stigmatizing, but include an element of peer pressure in the sense of watching others have all the fun and hoping that would somewhat inspire them to try again. But yeah, it could be stigmatizing. So I'll try to play it case by case (if it happens again) and simply use a ski pole and gentle encouragement to rest there and let it all out if necessary. I'm relieved to hear that is probably (hopefully) not perceived as punitive, nor neglectful? Of course every case is different, i get that, too. but as a general concept? Do you have thoughts on picking a squalling child (as old as 9 or 10) up and placing them in a "safe" spot from where they might have collapsed & begun to rage?

 

[zircon]

The constant hanging back but pushing to the front, forcibly interrupting other students to get where the focus is on them.

Yup, that checks out. I have kids who are literally just unaware that you are speaking unless you address them directly (get in their personal bubble, say their name). It's not rude or malicious it just hasn't occurred to them. A thing that may help for when they're lagging behind is to list them off by name beginning with the suspected ND child when you give a new major instruction.

Should there be a form or question in the class application where parents be required to disclose to the director that their child needs special attention and might not be suitable for a group class without multiple instructors?

Off the top of my head at least, I can't think of a way you'd implement this that wouldn't encourage families to lie. Most, if their child has a formal diagnosis, have been burned one too many times by discrimination on the base of perceived disability access needs (not necessarily actual needs).

something that would not be overly stigmatizing, but include an element of peer pressure in the sense of watching others have all the fun and hoping that would somewhat inspire them to try again. But yeah, it could be stigmatizing. So I'll try to play it case by case (if it happens again) and simply use a ski pole and gentle encouragement to rest there and let it all out if necessary.

I do think a great way to handle this is to preview the expectation at the beginning of class. Tell them the procedure (phrase it as "upset and needing a break" or something) and that you'll leave them at a ski pole where they can calm down and come back when they're ready. If you're teaching primarily on the bunny hill maybe even pre-set a ski pole so you can show them. And by "them" I mean the whole class.

The element of mild peer pressure of them being able to see the class is (in my opinion) a good idea—then it doesn't seem like a punishment if they can rejoin any time and aren't being excluded/ejected from the class. One thing I guess I'd add is check on them after 3-5 minutes. You work with younger kids than I do, so trying to talk it out what's actually wrong probably won't help, but having a poor sense of time and proportion is common and they may need an adult to just come and gently say "hey, are you ready to come back?"

Do you have thoughts on picking a squalling child (as old as 9 or 10) up and placing them in a "safe" spot from where they might have collapsed & begun to rage?

That seems entirely reasonable. We aren't allowed to touch kids unless they're actively in danger, but skiing is an inherently dangerous sport and a melting down kid lacks situational awareness.