| If you teach a youth football team there will come a | | | | For things like a vision impairment, then they might have |
| time when you may have to teach a child who is | | | | trouble seeing a white ball. So a simple change of a ball |
| physically impaired or has some sort of special needs | | | | to a different color may help to deal with that situation. |
| condition. As coaches, we need to get him or her | | | | If the kid has a hearing impairment then you will have |
| involved in the training as much as we can and help | | | | to find a way of communicating with them through |
| them to fit in without disrupting the rest of the team or | | | | some sort of signals or more demonstrations before |
| getting injured in any way. A child's impairment can | | | | the designed task is given so they can see what they |
| vary in many ways. It can be a simple situation of they | | | | want you to do. If your player has a disability so they |
| may just have a lack of hearing, or there may be | | | | can not run too well because of limb problems, then |
| some loss of vision. There may also be some sort of | | | | perhaps you can have the child doing a specific job. |
| loss of movement so maybe they cannot run as fast | | | | For example they could be the designated throw-in |
| as other children. | | | | player, and you train them to just do that particular job. |
| How you deal with these situations will depend on | | | | They could also be asked to be the designated corner |
| what the condition is of the child. Before you even | | | | kicker. |
| start with the training session, as a coach, it is best to | | | | When the kids see their role in the game, their |
| have a chat with the child's parents to establish the full | | | | improvement will get better over the weeks of training |
| impairment and how it affects them in their normal life | | | | just like the rest of the group. Having a child with |
| and also the goals and aspirations of the parents. You | | | | special needs helps to enhance the rest of the team |
| then have something to gauge how you handle the | | | | mates and gives them first hand experience of |
| situation. Remember parents may be a bit | | | | developing an understanding of other team mates |
| apprehensive themselves and maybe looking to you | | | | needs and be able to be patient with them. |
| for all the answers. | | | | |