Basketball Camp for Children with Autism

Region Elite coordinated Northwest Indiana’s 1st Basketball Camp for children with Autism. Region Elite partnered with The National Autism Association of Northwest Indiana and City of Hammond in the first ever inclusive region basketball camp! Lisa Fox, President of The National Autism Association of Northwest Indiana said “The 1:1 ratio between instructors and the kids were great. The coaches were knowledgeable, patient and you can tell the Region Elite players were excited to be there.” 

The main focus of this camp was to ensure that all the kids have fun. The camp was held on August 14-15, 2010 at the Jean Sheppard Community Center in Hammond, Indiana. Each player with autism was partnered with a peer and a coach. We worked in small groups on basketball skills such a dribbling, passing, shooting and defense.

Region Elite consist of children from all over Northwest Indiana. The ages of these kids range from 7-14 years old and they were responsible for working with the children identified on the Autism Spectrum.  The kids along with the coaches were given training on how deal with various behavioral triggers commonly associated with Autism. Reginald Brooks, President of Region Elite said, “One of the most enjoyable moments for me was arriving to gym at 7:30 AM and seeing my players standing outside with smiles on their faces ready to get the day started.  As you know basketball is a fun and exciting sport and we always associate a good team by how they perform on the court.  The game of life is measured by how well we perform off the court. That’s why our coaching staff strives to teach these kids the importance of helping others and not wanting anything in return.  They are going to learn hands on how to be a leader, a role model and most of all a productive citizens.“