A Simple Basketball Class Brings So Much Value To My Autistic Daughter

It keeps her active, helps her acquire skills and lets her interact with others, which is why I'm all for the moves to promote greater inclusivity in sports in Singapore

- Jill Lim

When my daughter with autism, Kate, started playing basketball, her ball used to fall far short of the net. She would ready herself, bend her knees as if to jump, and the feeble ball would then barely clear a person's head.

All manner of demonstrations and exhortations—people cheering for her, trying to draw her attention to the basket or enthusiastically telling her "higher, over here, like this!"—made little difference. At first.

But after about a year of playing weekly with a special-needs group, although her ball still doesn't make it near the rim, it now travels in an upward path and has closed the gap to the net.

To me, that is already a win—the improvement. I am also happy with her better reaction to the hour-long basketball session itself. She used to occasionally get angry or cry at some point during the lesson or refuse to participate. Now, on most weeks, she completes the session in a pretty good mood.

It is wonderful how a simple basketball class can bring so much value. Being physically active for an hour is good for her health. She is acquiring both hard skills—handling a ball, bouncing it, throwing and catching—and soft skills, including learning to wait and following the flow of a simplified game.

The physical activity makes her more tired at night and she sleeps better.

And just having that activity gets both of us out of the house—preferable to her watching YouTube clips on a loop—and gives her the chance to interact with other people in a high-energy environment with good vibes.