For about 2 years, I had a reoccurring lesson with a 12 year old boy with autism. It was a snowboarding lesson, and it was definitely a challenge. From the very first day, when I watched him straight shoot to the bottom of a magic carpet only to slam the emergency stop button, and then proceed to laugh as people fell due to the sudden halt, I knew that it was going to require some extra effort. Over the course of the next few lessons, I came to realize that he could make turns the entire way down the hill and stop when he wanted to. However, I also found out that he preferred to straight shoot the entire hill and just stop at the bottom instead of making turns. What worked best for me was to constantly create games where he was trying to catch me, trying to hit me with a snowball, or trying to ride up and give me a high five. By creating games like this, I was able to establish a method where he was basically following me in attempts to catch up to me. By doing this, I would make turns of varying sizes and shapes, and he was able to practice them and get the muscle memory for what he needed to do. It turned into a great weekly lesson that I looked forward to, and it turned into a really good experience and memory for me.
Brian D.
Peek’n Peak Resort
