Let your child be a child

I was first diagnosed GBS at age 5, after several visits to doctors telling my parents it was ear infections. I was diagnosed in April of 1982 and was unable to walk until somtime in june of the same year, by April of 1983 I was playing soccer. in the winter of 1983/1984 I first became involved in a program that taught physically disabled skiing. I will admit that the first few years of soccer and skiing I was clumsy still probably much like your son is. I was in constant physical thearpy and would tire quickly which made things more difficult. But it was important to be doing those things with the other kids. My advice is let your child do things, as long as the activity does not present a significant risk. an example would be it he as extremely weak and brittle ankles such as I did it would not be a good idea to play a sport like hockey. I am no expert and at age 22 I had surgery to fix an ankle that I had made worse over the years doing all these things like soccer, skiing, and basketball, but it was worth it.

I now am a volunteer instructor in the same handicapped program that taught me to ski and the one thing that I believe in firmly is letting the kids do whatever they can, after all the worst is over.