No worries 🙂

Some info here on the Bristol Aiming High bike project: http://www.betterbybike.info/cycling-project-helps-disabled-people-aim-high

Information on the Short Breaks duty which means local authorities have a responsibility to provide a range of short breaks for families affected by disability: http://www3.hants.gov.uk/shortbreaks

Looks like there are some all ability bikes nearby too: http://www.forestandwaterside.info/2011/06/all-ability-bikes-get-first-outing.html

And Hampshire Autism Society: http://www.has.org.uk/

Some local support groups here: http://www.has.org.uk/assets/files/Support%20Groups%203%204%2011.doc

Try to remember is that your not alone in feeling like this. There are people who can support you or just be there to listen.

Hope this helps 🙂

Ben

Cheers MB, I appreciate your advice. It’s true that this stuff usually surfaces at times of stress, and it’s not exactly great times right now for anyone. I have just got back to a good job after 7 horrid months of searching, so I am stressed about making it past the 4month probation in my contract. No reason to it, just never want redundancy ever again!

AndyRT,

there was a previous Austism threadfrom a few years ago.. might pick up a few pointers from that. My son Jordan is apsbergic, but was able to ride by the time he was six. Just remember kids with ASD can/ will take longer to pick up certain things.. If balance is an issue, you could try him with a scooter?

Thanks Ben.

I’ll look into the bike stuff, but I will pay my way in terms of holidays, and let others that really need the support have the trips away.

We have friends and family, so I have always felt these charitable ventures should be for those that can’t afford it themselves.

On that note, I can’t believe they’re closing so many sure start nurseries! That support network helped us so much.

Micarms, we got a scooter, and he loves it (sometimes). I went a bit mad and got one with 12″ wheels, so it could cope with gravel (forest roads n stuff) but tbh it’s only good for Tarmac.

I will have to bite the bullit and be more patient.

Bullheart, thank you, I look forward to hearing from you.

I’m no saint.

the CTC/ sustrans maybe able to help. they certainly run trikes/ adapated bikes from the alice holt forest. clive – used to post on here – about it, he has moved on but is still within the CTC.

Andy

You do have friends mate, give me a call if you need to talk/unload.

Thanks Tomthumb

I broke my first rule of advice in overloading with too much! If you get a chance though talk to one of the local support groups, in my experience they tend to have the best knowledge. Some places also have support groups for Dad’s. Short breaks is also not always what it sounds like, it can include training, activity groups and supported access to universal services as well as traditional respite care. Most authorities will have a children with disabilities team and autism advisory teachers which may be able to offer some advice in a practical way. Tony Atwood has a book on Asperger’s which you may find useful, and Olga Bogdashina has written extensively on sensory sensitivities.

I know. If you were, this’d be easier, wouldn’t it?

Don’t be too downhearted.
I have been involved for a few years in coaching children who are being treated by the occupational therapy department at the local hospital. These kids have all been medically referred because of co-ordination problems, and a number of them are also on the autistic spectrum. Using simple coaching techniques, we have been able to get almost every child cycling successfully.

The most important factor is your son’s motivation. If he is keen to learn, you are half way there already. If he is not that fussed about the bike, I wouldn’t try and push it too hard. He is still very young, and may show more interest when he is older. Some of the kids we work with are 11+ and have never learned to ride before attending the coaching courses, so be patient.

If you do want to try and teach your son, try using the standard “scooting” technique. Drop the saddle and remove the pedals to start with. You need a bike that is small enough to allow your son to comfortably get both feet flat on the ground when he is sitting on the saddle. Get him to paddle the bike around initially, and once he can move confidently, build up his speed and encourage him to start lifting his feet and gliding. Using this technique he can teach himself to balance.

If he manages to get to the stage of gliding successfully, you can re-introduce one pedal, and continue scooting, but with one foot on a pedal. Then fit the other pedal, and try getting both feet on to the pedals while gliding. Finally, get him to push down on the pedals while he is gliding and hopefully you will be away! A wee shove under the saddle can help if the child has trouble getting moving, but avoid holding the bars. Encourage him to keep looking up and ahead, rather than fixating on the front wheel (try running backwards in front of him to keep his attention).

This is obviously a compressed description, and you can introduce various other things to keep it fun and interesting. Try laying out wee tracks and slalom course with cones or bean bags or stones to develop balance and steering, or make a narrow gate with low markers to make your son lift his feet as he scoots through.

It is usually more effective to demonstrate these exercises yourself, and get the child to copy you, rather than trying to explain the techniques theoretically. You know your son best and will understand what approach is going to be most effective for him. Above all, keep it fun, and don’t force it if it is not his thing.

Good luck!

P.S. if your son’s bike has stabilisers – bin them immediately. Stabilisers will only slow down the process of learning to balance. Get the saddle nice and low, so his feet are on the ground, and he will be OK.

Just realised that the original poster contributed to the earlier Autism thread that was referenced above, where I said a lot of the same stuff, so apologies for repeating myself!

Hey Andy, remember me telling you about trucking Dan around on a recumbent tandem that I’d just serviced? Was one of these: Hase Pino
It had an adapter to fit an extra set of cranks as close up as needed.. A really nicely designed and made bike; and it looks like an imperial speeder!
Be sitting down when you look at the price list though..
See you riding tomorrow!

Thanks mate, the weather will be good by the time we start. Should be a tad boggy under tyre though. Now where did I put my autumn tyres….

Kcr

No worries, but bin the stabilisers? I’ll try it. Your advice is brilliant, thank you. It gives me hope to hear it’s possible.

I can’t add too much to what has been said already – whilst my own children have had learning disabilities these are not on the same scale.

All I can say is that my 8 yr old couldn’t ride a bike, despite my best efforts, until 2 months ago when she picked it up and just did it. I made sure the bike had no stabilisers and also it was too small – feet on the ground – as above.

In hindsight I may have pressured her too much in the early years which may have led to rejection. After time and her seeing my desire for bikes led her to try by herself.

I wish you all the best.

Keep at it, my son has developmental co-ordination disorder and is on the aspergers scale. He struggled to even hold a pencil at school, nightmare at swimming, due to an irrational fear of water and poor balance on a bike to an extent still on stabilisers by 6!

Roll on a couple of years, still has vision and behavioural issues. A couple of years behind in reading and schoolwork but a happier boy! Patience has meant we managed to get him to swim, snorkelled and even scuba dived to 6feet at the age of 9 in Egypt, can now mountain bike enjoying the full blue run at glentress, still cant tie his laces lol.

We still have strops with Andrew but it’s how you manage them with patience and strategies appropriate to your sons condition!

Keep the chin up, was feeling similar around the same time as you!

Alan

Andy,

If its any consolation, our son who has no disability (now nearly 8 ) was 6 before he mastered even basic balance on a bike (and its still scary watching him weaving all over the place!). He showed little interest, wasn’t physically particularly strong, and would rather have been inside playing on his DS, CBeebies, etc. Indeed even now, when with adequate incentive he’ll ride 10-12 miles most of the “chat” will be about what he is going to do when he gets back home on Moshi Monsters etc… Really the only thing that spurred him on to finally learn was his friends were all doing it. He’s never been good at following instruction from his parents in this sort of thing (or perhaps that should be – we’ve never been good at coaching his particular style of learning!). He’s also well behind the local middle class standard of swimming. There are still a couple of people in his class as school who can’t ride a bike.

I’m sure I was probably at least 6 when I learned and I think it is easy to read all the stories of children who seem to be “born in lycra” on web forums and assume that if your child can’t ride before they go to school that this is abnormal. In reality remember that bike forums are frequented by people obsessed with bikes who are uber keen for their kids to rid. If you look at the population as a whole your son is not significantly behind in his bike riding. I’d bet there are a few other parents here with non-autistic children who have a similar disinterest in biking and therefore mastering the balance. I have to say we felt like we were doing something wrong when we read on here about the wonderful children and saw friends with brilliant toddler cyclists. In contrast our daughter, who is not even 3.5 has just started riding, but she is a completely different personality.

Good luck, at least your son might develop into doing something constructive with a computer rather than sitting on bike forums all day!

oops double post

As always, STW proves itself to be capabale of dragging itself up from bickering and brining a host of knowledgeable and positive posts to the fore.

Not much to add to the aboe other than to agree it may be about sensory ‘overload’ type issues rather than a physical balance one.

And as Poly says, 6 isn’t that old to a) not be abel to ride a bike and b) not particularly want to.

Lots of good advice above and that ‘stoker at the front’ tandem that TJ posted looks like a good bet as you can talk to him and see how he’s doing.

Andy – we’ve a spare micro scooter if you want it. Email if interested, don’t worry if not. (also in Hants)

Andy

I know how you are feeling- especially when there are stories of kids getting on balance bikes straight out the womb!

My son has Cerebral Palsy affecting all 4 limbs and speech. He’s almost 5 and has only just started walking very short distances c2-3 metres before falling so biking & skiing will be a long way off! It was hard taking him to school for his first day yesterday when you see all the other children running around and he’s in a wheelchair. And noticing the sideways glances from the other parents.

However he isn’t phased (perhaps doesn’t fully appreciate the difference yet)-he sees biking & skiing on telly and wants a go. We were riding around Bedgebury (he was in a rear seat on my wife’s bike) and he wanted to go off the family track onto the singletrack!

I would recommend the trike option, especially if it is a fixie(!!). Due to FB jnrs wobbly legs, pedalling is hard. However he tried the Pashley at Berdgebury and got some speed up as once it started, the momentum helped him keep pedalling.

Mission Cycles do a tag along with two wheels for extra stability and you can even add a more supportive seat if you’re worried about him letting go. One thing to look for is the size of the trikes. One we looked at filled the boot of our Scenic without his wheelchair in! At one of his therapy sessions this month a rep from Quest 88 is coming with a range of trikes and they even do a folding one.

Don’t worry about the charity aspect, some have an income/expenditure questionnaire so apply and let them judge. Some of the trikes we have looked at online are c£600-£800 by the time they add adaptions!

You’re not alone feeling you can’t bear the weight. We all go through that if you ever want to get things off your chest- my email’s in my profile.

Neil

check out these folk for some good ideas too

mission cycles

andy, you sound like a good dad 🙂

that’s all i wanted to say, wish i could have more of a positive contribution to the thread but there’s lots of great advice on here already!

Andy, not sure where you are based, but there is a Cycling For All scheme just outside Farnham, Surrey. I believe they have specially adapted trikes, tandems etc. that you can hire to take around the forest – Alice Holt

HI all

I know the feeling, I am addicted to bikes and it is only this year my son, Matthew has learnt to ride a bike , or rather riding his sisters old bike or his mum vintage 92 Hardrocks, and he’s now 13.

Matt suffers with aspbergers syndrome and would make an excellent health and safety rep, however eventually overcame his fears. spent most of the summer hols on his bike

You may of heard me shouting left brake or change gear around Delamere or Llandegla!!!

stick with it, it’ll fall into place

And as far as off-road scooters go, these are ace! Rock solid build and pneumatic tyres, I want one (only get to play on it at work)
Steppy scooter

Andy, (i thought this was going to be a post about balance bikes but there’s something compelling about a thread like this) all the best to you both and you sound like you’re doing a great job. All i can offer if it’s of any use is, I think my dad’s a bit gutted i turned out a cyclist and not a dinghy sailor – my childhood lad and dad pastime was messing about in boats and i may not have seemed as interested as he was. But i’m eternally grateful that i had the chance to learn something like that and all that matters now is my dad spent that time with me doing something we had fun with. When i sail now, it’s something that’s more than just a pastime, it’s memories too.

I’m sure your boy feels the same and will tell you one day. it’s not so much about the riding as the time spent together?

Lovely thread – very dusty