You are currently viewing Physiotherapy & Tennis for children with Autism and Developmental Delay + It’s Benefits

Physiotherapy & Tennis for children with Autism and Developmental Delay + It’s Benefits

National 360’s South Australia team has recently launched Children’s Physiotherapy Tennis Classes! These classes are aimed at children with Autism Spectrum Disorder, ADHD, Global and Gross Motor Skill delays for kids aged between 3 and 16 years.

This session will be run by our Paediatric Physiotherapists who have a special interest in Autism, aimed at encouraging kids in group-based activities and supporting them to achieve their goals by participating in wider community events and sports.

Our aim is to build social skills and confidence, as well as teach healthy lifestyle choices from a young age. We welcome NDIS participants with a range of conditions as well as Autism, including global developmental delays, adolescent anxiety and depression, ADHD, as well as sensory disabilities such as hearing or vision impairment, including blindness.

Class Focus

These sessions run for one hour, with sessions running for 6-8 weeks at a time. They focus on improving our participants’ well-being and quality of life by:

  • Teaching and progressing gross motor skills and social skills and social participation,
  • Increasing their opportunities for engaging in physical activity and learning strategies to regulate their mood.
  • Encourage and progress community participation within a group environment with a wide variety of gross motor skill activities: improving balance, running and agility, strength and eye-ball and hand coordination.

Our tennis sessions also help each child to progress in Developmental Milestones including:

  • Running
  • Catching/Throwing
  • Jumping
  • Kicking
  • Climbing
  • Reactive and Adaptive Balance

Clinical Evidence:

A study was conducted in 2019 on the effect of group tennis exercises applied to autistic individuals on motor skills development. The study found that tennis combined with physical activity made an important contribution to the development of the children’s motor skills.

Source: Pamukkale Journal of Sport Sciences. 2019, Vol. 10 Issue 3, p1-6. 6p.

Group Tennis and Gross Motor Skill classes are run by Paediatric Physiotherapists at 4 locations in the greater Adelaide area. The classes are specialised gross motor skills and tennis classes aimed specifically at building each child’s capacity and progressing their NDIS goals and catering for each individual’s abilities and needs.

National 360 Tennis Class Times:

Every Monday [Salisbury Recreation Precinct]:

  • 3pm-4pm [3.5-5 years old]
  • 4pm-5pm [6-18 years old]

Every Wednesday [Henley Beach South Tennis Club]:

  • 3pm-4pm [3.5-5 years old]
  • 4pm-5pm [6-18 years old]

If you are interested in joining our tennis classes or have any questions, contact our South Australia team on 08 7079 6882 or submit a tennis program enquiry below.

Leave a Reply