I can remember learning to ride a bike. It seemed so difficult. Getting on that precarious booby trap and trying to move forward without killing myself seemed kind of futile.
After a few hours of riding in concentric circles, though, it seemed almost impossible to tip over!
That feeling of control does that.
“Only you can control your future.”
-Dr. Seuss
I was at a school, recently, leading a therapeutic drum circle for a class of children with disabilities. The students each had a developmental disability, although I didn’t always know what that disability was.
I went around the circle, asking the kids what they did over the weekend. I would then incorporate the activity with the child’s name into a drumbeat that we could all play and say. It is a blast and they love it. It’s a real confidence builder!
One girl in the class, we’ll call her Tammy, has cerebral palsy. She can’t speak clearly and lacks control of her limbs. Her abilities are hampered to a point that she is in a power wheelchair.
I make it a priority to get kids involved that may not be able to participate in activities in a traditional way. I decided to try a couple of items on Tammy’s wrists – a wristband with an egg shaker attached (which I made) and a set of wrist bells that I had purchased.
“Let the child be the scriptwriter, the director, and the actor in his own play.”
-Magda Gerber
The idea was that by even moving her arms a little bit, she would be making music and participating like everyone else.
She lit up when I did this. By having the ability to play along with the group, she became one of us. I would get information from her about her favorite things or recent activities and we would all create music based on that.
Tammy was all smiles and laughing uncontrollably at times. Her teachers and aides were taking pictures with her and she would give them big hugs. It’s amazing to see the happiness that giving someone that little bit of control can make.
She was one of us. She was no longer classified by the things she could and could not do but recognized for the contributions she made to the session!
Thinking outside of the box, just a little bit, allowed Tammy to become a participant instead of an observer. Giving her control of her participation in an activity that is fun and invigorating taught us all that changing just a small part of the game made participation for everyone not only possible – but natural.
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