by Ann Allen
Believe me, my young friend, there is nothing- absolutely nothing- half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats. -Kenneth Grahame
Does your child love water? Rhythm? Movement? How about the sounds of nature?
I don’t know about you, but I can finally see signs of spring cropping up around me. No, our yard isn’t lined with brightly colored tulips. There aren’t blossoms on our apple trees.
It is still rather subtle here. The patches of ice are now puddles of water and the crocuses have just begun to peek above the dirt.
We look forward to what’s coming, so spring in Wisconsin is a time for planning.
Plan now so you can play later.
Our 24-year-old son, Eric, was born with Alpha Thalassemia Mental Retardation syndrome. Eric is challenged in many of the same ways that your child might be. He is nonverbal, gets around by crawling, is fed via G-tube, and has epilepsy. Eric is plagued with GI issues, which may be the largest of all his challenges.
In spite of Eric’s challenges, he is just like the rest of us. That means that after being cooped up all winter while the temperature in Wisconsin hovered somewhere around ZERO, he wants to get out in nature and PLAY.
We are fortunate to live in an area of Wisconsin that has many lakes and rivers that seem to call our names once the ice goes out. But how, we wondered, could Eric join us on our kayaking trips. We had 2 kayaks, but they were single person kayaks.
At the time we began kayaking with Eric, he was quite small. That is when we got the idea that Eric could travel in the cargo hold of our sea kayaks. We had no gear that we needed to take along since we only took day trips when Eric joined us.
So that is what we did. We popped a life jacket on our little trooper, seated him in the cargo hold, and off we went. One person frequently kayaked behind the other so that we could keep a close eye on Eric.
At the beginning of one of our first trips, Eric tentatively reached out to the water, not daring to dip his fingers in. We allowed him to explore this new experience of gliding across the top of the lake at his own unique pace.
With the precision of a surgeon, he would dip just the tip of his index finger into the water, dragging it along the top, mesmerized by the groove he was making on the lake’s surface. We would hear him chuckle softly, amazed by the beauty of this simple displacement of water molecules.
On subsequent trips, Eric became very comfortable in the kayak. His finger dragging across the surface of the water gradually became his hand dipping in. Then Eric would purposefully submerge his arm up to his elbow. Eventually, his whole arm dragged through the water, the kayak listing to one side. The paddler had to lean the other way to counter balance Eric’s weight. His confidence and curiosity grew as his experiences multiplied.
Did we ever fail? Of course! Get wet? Un huh. Tip over? Just once. Get hurt? Never. Have fun? Every single time.
If at first, the idea is not absurd, then there is no hope for it. – Albert Einstein
Style
Not all kayaks are created the same. There are sit on top kayaks, recreational, and even foldable kayaks. Not all children are created the same either, but if your child needs trunk support, I would recommend a sea kayak. The kayaks we use have separate openings, which provide trunk support for a small child. We happen to own our kayaks, but renting them is also a possibility. Just be sure to request the correct style for your child’s needs.
Safety
Please keep safety in mind at all times. When Eric is with us, we kayak primarily along shallow shores of quiet lakes. At any given point we can (not so gracefully) step out of the kayak to meet any needs Eric might have. Also, we always have 2 kayakers so that one person can keep a close watch on Eric.
Weather
Eric is a fair weather kayaker and we try to keep this in mind when planning a day on the water. We only go out when the conditions are predicted to be favorable. As stated earlier, we stay close to shore and plan to be out for a short period of time. Sitting is tiring for Eric and his stomach is happier when he can stretch out every couple of hours. The best conditions for Eric involve low winds and a day that is a bit overcast. When Eric is happy, the trip goes much more smoothly for all of us.
The Gift of Time
Traveling this journey with Eric has allowed us to slow down and see the wonder that nature holds. We try not to squander the gift of time, knowing that Eric pays dearly for the slower pace imposed on him due to ATRX syndrome. We try to see what he sees, and to put ourselves in his position of noticing even the smallest details.
Trying to find ways in which we can bring enjoyment to Eric in the form of recreation is a passion of ours. We want to see him experience the amazing sensory world that is right at his fingertips, but sometimes ridiculously out of reach.
If you have the opportunity to try kayaking with your child with special needs, I hope you take advantage of it. I believe our son has grown stronger physically and cognitively from these trips. More importantly however, is that my son is getting dirty, sporting a little suntan, and ushering the summer in with a few bug bites, just like the rest of us.
Release the joy that is inside of another, and you release the joy that is inside of you.- Neal Donald Walch
Ann Allen is mother to two children, Tess, 25 and Eric 23. Eric was born with a rare syndrome, Alpha Thalassemia Mental Retardation syndrome (ATR-X). Ann was a teacher for 28 years while raising her family, and just recently retired so she could be at home to care for Eric. Ann and her family love nature and outdoor activities. In traveling the road of parenting a child with special needs, Ann and her husband, Don, have had to be very purposeful in finding activities that were inclusive for Eric. If they didn’t find them, they created them. She has a passion to share some ideas that worked for her family and may work for yours, as well.
