I'm a believer in Wii Therapy!!!!

We just got home from Challenger Bowling. The "Challenger" program is run by the Township Rec department and is a program for special needs children. They do different sports each season: baseball, horseback riding, bowling, soccer, basketball, etc. So far Alex has tried the horseback riding and the baseball out - this was the first time for us with bowling. In the past I didn't do it because of all the issues he has with clapping and loud sounds. When he went to a birthday party at the bowling alley he loved the bowling but he wasn't wild about the noise level. Still, lately he'd been doing better and I figured we'd try it.

A month or so I bought a Wii for the family. Alex enjoyed playing it whenever we were at friends' homes where they had it and he didn't seem bothered by all the clapping in Wii sports. He did seem to have issues with sharing and turn taking so I hoped that if we got one at home it would help. My husband and I have watched with awe as:

1. the kid is darn good at it and kicks all of our butts in the bowling - earning pro about a week after getting it.
2. He claps along with it when he gets a good score
3. He expects you to clap along with it too when he does well.
4. He claps for other people!
5. He has little to no trouble sharing it at home and insists on playing with others - WANTS to play with others, not just by himself.
6. A note came home from school saying that he clapped appropriately during a movie they were watching and didn't get upset when others clapped.
   

So, since the only thing different was that he was playing on the Wii.... you tell me....making a difference? I think YES.

Update: 9/12/08 -- I wrote an article for Bella Online: Autism Spectrum Disorders site.
Consider the Nintendo Wii for Kids with Autism


.. Now, back to Challenger Bowling:

We signed up for the challenger bowling in June and have spent the past month talking about how he'd go bowl at the bowling alley when it was August. August came and today was the first day of the program.

Of course, here's the obligatory kid-pics.


First, the silly bowling shoes. These just really crack me up, especially the big sign on the door as you go out that says to not go outside in your bowling shoes. I just have this image of people getting all the way home and realizing they have the wrong shoes on.




It should come as no big surprise, he was fascinated by the scoring computer.

He started out requiring more assistance from Daddy since he was picking a ball that was too heavy (it was green, and he likes that color best). But, at the end we let him bowl independently and he was able to meet with some success. They had bumpers in the gutters and the ball rolled miserably slow - I didn't catch what his final score was but at the 8th frame he had a 55, so his 200+ Wii success didn't translate over. His sportsmanship, cooperation and no issues from clapping however did. I'll take it.

I'm happy for him that he found success and had fun too!