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SN children

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Original poster

Anybody managed to teach a dyspraxic child to ride a bike?

49 replies

Niecie · 08/05/2011 17:42

DS1 is 10 and can't ride a bike. We have tried but not recently and I suspect he has grown out of his last bike anyway.

Recently the school has send home letters about cycling proficiency te4st which DS keeps saying he wants to do. He can't of course because he can't ride a bike but he says he wants to try to learn again.

I don't know how to go about it really. The dyspraxia seems to make even peddling hard work. He can't seem to peddle fast enough to avoid falling off it it were not for the stablisers. What with that and not being able to steer and peddle and brake at the same time and he is a bit of a challenge to teach to say the least.

Anybody ever taught a child with dyspraxia (and mild AS) or learnt themselves later in life? Any tips?

What with that and another letter the same day about Yr 6 having photos taken with their friendship groups before they leave the juniors, his differences with other children have been put into stark relief. Normally we just get on with things but these letters just show how different he is. He doesn't have friends to have a photo with and he can't ride a bike. Makes me a bit sad for him which I haven't been for ages.

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Original poster

Niecie · 08/05/2011 17:43

Sorry - the last paragraph was a bit of a self indulgent mope, wasn't it? I need to get a grip!

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janetsplanet · 08/05/2011 17:44

yes with a lot of perseverance. both my girls have it (12 and 7) the 12yr old now wont ride her bike after a bad fall (broken thumb, smashed/grazed face) so it got passed to youngest. she loves to ride her bike.
however i didnt let my eldest DD do a cycling thing with school as it was done on the streets and she wasnt great at riding

colditz · 08/05/2011 17:45

I've no idea but I'm watching with interest as I'll be in the same position in 2 years. What about a micro scooter? Would he be allowed to do the road awareness on a scooter?

janetsplanet · 08/05/2011 17:48

meant to say my eldest DD fell off her scooter so lost all confidence in the bike too. it took lots of bribes (i got DS involved with makin cakes with youngest) lots of tantrums from me too. shouting, praising, then the whole pride thing

Ben10isthespawnofthedevil · 08/05/2011 17:57

Marking place.... DS has such vestibular problems and gravitional insecurity as well as the usual dyspraxic problems, he won't even sit on one with stabilizer at the moment :(

dazedandconfused · 08/05/2011 18:00

Sorry no experience of dyspraxia but DS who has Aspergers has just decided he wants to learn, and I think he'll struggle with coordination. I was wondering whether it might be possible to start with one of those push bikes without pedals until he gets his balance ...

Original poster

Niecie · 08/05/2011 18:02

I hadn't thought about a scooter. DH suggested getting a three wheeler trike thing and getting one for himself too so DS doesn't feel bad about it. However, DH can't go to the cycling proficiency and I think it would leave DS open to mockery from his peers. Probably something that is best left outside of school. I will have a look at scooter though although I am not sure they are allowed on the road, are they? - will have to look that up too.

Janetsplanet -Can't say I blame your DD for not wanting to ride a bike after such a bad fall! She has done well to master the bike after that.

This is bad enough - 7 years time and it will be the driving test that will be throwing up the problems instead!

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Original poster

Niecie · 08/05/2011 18:06

Dazedandconfused - I read about those a while back. I wonder if they would help - at least he wouldn't have to brake, steer and pedal at the same time.

The AS makes it difficult (or maybe it is the dyspraxia who knows) because he is also oblivious to what is going on around him. I can foresee many collisions if he does manage it. Just have to hope none of them are with a car.

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flyingmum · 08/05/2011 18:13

Mine did it. Again- when he was ten. Just decided to get on and tried and tried and tried, fell off etc until he did it. Make sure you take them to somewhere like an emptyish park or an empty car park - nothing crashable into so they don't have to worry about steering first. Then if the will is there . . .

Mine didn't manage to pass the cycling proficiency and actually it is on roads and stuff (DS2 just done it successfully) so is a big ask. I would opt out of that - better that than he is the only one who 'fails'.

DS1 is now 16 and rides his bikes on long rides although never been out on it on his own yet.

smileANDwave2000 · 08/05/2011 18:27

my sons asd and dyspraxic and cant ride a bike but i hear bit late now for me but there are balance bikes ive heard about from MN sound like a good option and not too expensive either

EllenJaneisnotmyname · 08/05/2011 18:34

My DS (11) has ASD and is quite dyspraxic. He can ride his bike, it took ages, though, he was 8 before he learnt. You can just take the pedals off a normal bike to get the balance bike vibe on an age 10 size bike. Then a park with a small hill, and a big push. Only have balancing and braking to worry about then. DS still hates cycling, though, he much prefers his micro scooter.

bumblingbovine · 08/05/2011 18:48

ds is 6 years old with bad muscle tone and gross motor skill problems. He learnt to ride a bike when he was 5.8 years old. He only mastered his trike at around 4 years old. He was riding a small bike with stabilisers at around 4.5 years old. We took off the stabilisers, and took off the pedals and he then used it as a balance bike for about 3 months.

It took him a while to get the balance bike thing right but once he had, he transferred to a bicyle in less than an hour!. He still isn't really very confident (6.7 years old) and lacks confidence as he tends to fall off sometimes but he learnt to ride really quickly and painlessly. I conpletely believe that if we had not started with the balance bike that he would still be using stabilisers. When we went to try the bicycle it was obvious that he had the "balance" bit already, so he just needed to co-ordinate this with pushing the pedals.

On a balance bike he needs to have feet flat on the ground while perching his bottom on the seat.

The main problem was that he was abit old for a balance bike as most are designed for 18month- 3 years old (Ds would never have been able to use one then, he just didn't have the strenth or co-ordination) hence why we took the pedals off his bike.

I know your ds is 10 years old but it may be worth considering this for a bit. We also considered this www.pedalmagic.com/?gclid=CNPIsM702KgCFUFC4Qod9HWE-w but we tried the home-made balance bike first as it was free and it worked.

janetsplanet · 08/05/2011 18:58

oh and invest in a lot of shoes. mine cant press the brakes well so use their toes on the ground

tallulah · 08/05/2011 19:00

My parents taught my dyspraxic son to ride a bike when he was about 8. Unfortunately they then let him go out on his own on it, he went over the handlebars and chipped all his front (adult) teeth :(

Hassled · 08/05/2011 19:02

DS2 has learnt but it's so completely terrifying I'm not sure I'd recommend it as an experience for anyone. He can't pedal and steer simultaneously - it's one or the other, so he falls off constantly. He can't stick his had out to indicate and pedal simultaneously, so we're strictly off-road. When you think about it, it is all a Dyspraxic nightmare.

charlie06 · 08/05/2011 19:11

We took away the stabilizers ina kinda gradual way, first of all we made one not quite touch the floor and we took it in really gradual steps. Our dyspraxic son cracked it at about age 10, actually he managed it before his older brother who has no learning needs but simply couldn't get the balance.

I feel for you with the friendship group photos too, the transition to senior school was an absolute nightmare for our son and intially he didn't cope well at all but he is now 18 and much more socially aware.

lisad123isasnuttyasaboxoffrogs · 08/05/2011 19:29

DD1 has balance and muscle tone problems aswell as Autism, but she learnt by having private session with the dysplaxic ass.

IndigoBell · 08/05/2011 19:59

I went to my local childrens cycling club. They taught DS 1:1 and were brilliant.

Original poster

Niecie · 08/05/2011 20:29

Thank you for all the suggestions. It seems like there might be a possibility of DS managing it now he is a bit older - we have to work out what will work for him but we have something to think about. .

The other reason for needing to do something is that I think we might be holding DS2 (7) back a bit. He can't ride a bike yet either because we just don't get them out with DS1 not being able to do it. It is probably one of the few things where DS1's problems have impacted on DS2 directly. I know I shouldn't be putting letting ds2 have a go though. It isn't fair. Thankfully he hasn't been that interested but he is asking a little bit now too.

and at all the injuries though. I won't be letting him out on the road I don't think.

Hassled - dyspraxic nightmare just about sums it up really. When I think how badly it can go wrong.....

I've got to let him try though, haven't I?!

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EllenJaneisnotmyname · 08/05/2011 20:33

Yep, couldn't teach DS3 until DS2 could do it, so poor old DS2 had to wait ages. We don't do any family cycling even now as DS2 hates it. We take his scooter but he's so far behind everyone else.

EllenJaneisnotmyname · 08/05/2011 20:34

DS3 had to wait for ages. Too many DSs!

Original poster

Niecie · 08/05/2011 20:36

Pah - computer running painfully slowly so editing isn't keeping up with my typing.

My last post should say, 'I know I shouldn't put off letting DS2 have a go....'

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Original poster

Niecie · 08/05/2011 20:39

And now I have crossed posted with Ellenjane - damn computer.

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feynman · 09/05/2011 01:07

We manganed to get my brother to ride a bike when he was about 9 (he's quite badley dyspraxic with irlen syndrome and poor eyesight so it was a bit of nightmare). We managed it with a bike that was way too small for him. The fact that he could get his feet down quickly and easily gave him the confidence to try. He's 24 now and loves his bike. He's still strictly off road but has other difficulties (GDD ASD) which make it hard to know how good he'd be if it were 'just' dyspraxia if you see what I mean. He still rams his feet down before he uses his brake though!

MedusaIsHavingABadHairDay · 09/05/2011 09:12

My DS2 has ASD, dyspraxia and hypotonia (poor muscle tone, wears splints ) and until he was 13 he had a (special needs) trike. Then last summer my DH decided to give it one last try...

It took ALL summer but he did it..and can now ride a 2 wheeler albeit not very well..still a bit wobbly. We found a disused road and went up and down holding the back of the bike, and eventually the magic moment happened;)

I don't recommend trying one stabiliser to be honest.. if you try it it makes it even more unbalanced and doesn't teach them anything.. however a slightly small for them bike is a good compromise..not so far to the ground! Unfortnately my son was nearly 6 foot tall last year so we had to run behind an adult bike.. we got quite fit

I certainly wouldn't give up hope..I NEVER thought DS2 would master it!

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