Coaching Kids with Special Needs

A really great article, Simon.

Its heartwarming to see angling being a force for good in people's lives like this.

Keep up the good work.

PS You have a PM.

Angling needs more people like you Simon, its not easy controlling youngsters let alone those with problems, power to your elbow mate, lets hope it spreads nationwide, it deserves to, maybe if it does it will get some government financial backing as well.

Agree entirely, well done.

Can you take my son!!

Well done simon, it isn't an easy job.
I once helped a young lad with an attention span of about 30 seconds. You really do need to spend a lot of time with these kids.

well done mate.
my youngest is autistic and would love to take him fishing but have always held a little caution on taking him.
after reading your article i'm taking him sunday.
great article well done

Great article. I for one would love to hear more stories.

Thanks for the messages of support and general positivity.
In primary school teacher speak your messages gave me a 'warm fuzzy' feeling.

I managed to get five boys today despite it 'persistently precipatating HARD' most of the morning; and with GCSE exams in full swing.
One guy turned up with his leg in plaster after falling off a moped; four months ago. We've only just got permission from his school to let him back. Another, who is excluded for pinching someone's stash of 'grass' and smoking it on school premises (no names here then!!!)
Ronnie and Reggie (as I call them)from a very run down part of the South Coast who have finished all their exams, have been on 'permanent exclusion' or 'extended study leave' as the school calls it for months asking whether they can have some homework, so that they can finish their folders before the moderators come in next week!

Honestly, these guys have been likened to and labelled near unteachable, are asking for flaming homework! Who's got it wrong?

My fifth and final 'punter' today asked to be returned to school early today...(I nearly choked!) as he had an appointment/interview. He was so positive. So I asked him whether it was for a course or an apprenticeship or training opportunities. "Nope" he replied, dead pan, " it's with my substance abuse counsellor."

Can you see why I do this? These guys are great!

More stories to come. I was told a ripper today about a mad bunch of Albanians and a debt of ?75:00; the guy on crutches hiding under a waterproof coat (in full sun, with the hood fully zipped up) avoiding someones Dad whom he owed a tenner, asking me for protection...... it just goes on and on. Never a dull moment when you're fishing!

keep em coming

My youngest son has ADHD and Global developmental delay allied with a couple of physical disorders and a large helping of clumsiness. At one point he required so much watching that I sold all my gear, I was that convinced that I'd never get on the bank again.
There is a big debate as to whether Hyperactive kids should be given Ritalin, a controversial drug, but it's worked like magic for Zac and his attention span has expanded from a measured 5 seconds to the point where he can sit through an entire feature film.
With his new found ability to concentrate I decided to try him on the bankside, so we went to Woodlands at Thirsk (The place is fish soup - no waiting for bites)CONTINUED

I set him up fishing the margins and in no time he shouted he'd got a bite. Slight understatement. The top 3 feet of the rod was underwater with Zac about to involuntarily leave his chair and join it. I grabbed his britches in the nick of time and between us we landed an angry 8lb mirror. The look on his face had me in tears.
He's now a regular, burning holes in his float tip with eyes like lasers and asking ten questions a minute. I'm sure it's the best thing I've ever done for him and its brought
improvements in his hand to eye co-ordination
amongst other things.
Take a handicapped bairn fishing. They'll bloody love you for it.

Brilliant post Bobby.

Cheers Baz.

Simon ,
You're an inspiration,fella.
I,m a man with a lot of time on his hands and I'd like to try to set up a similar deal with my local council to give the bairns in Cleveland the same kind of chance.
Any advice you can give me on how to set the ball rolling would be appreciated .
You can contact me privately at the following address;- denise.tunnah@ntlworld.com
Same goes for anyone else who can help.

Thanks,Rob Tunnah.

I set him up fishing the margins and in no time he shouted he'd got a bite. Slight understatement. The top 3 feet of the rod was underwater with Zac about to involuntarily leave his chair and join it. I grabbed his britches in the nick of time and between us we landed an angry 8lb mirror. The look on his face had me in tears.
He's now a regular, burning holes in his float tip with eyes like lasers and asking ten questions a minute. I'm sure it's the best thing I've ever done for him and its brought
improvements in his hand to eye co-ordination
amongst other things.
Take a handicapped bairn fishing. They'll bloody love you for it.

Bobby,
get yourself on a PAA coaching course and get qualified (insured etc.)
You've then got to do some volunteering, get a CRB check and literally drag 'yer arse' around the local authority, or advertise in STAFFROOMS around the local schools. Offer teachers some free lessons, and in no time you'll be fightin' em off with a bank stick.
Get involved with the environment agency in National Fishing Week, they'll pull your arm off too!

Good Luck.

Simon

Well done bobby, that was an excellent read!

Yesterday i started a coaching course to teach children and the disabled. It is fantastic, it's a 5 day intense course, then i go back in August and hopefully qualify. It is a dream of mine to teach children the basics of fishing and to watch them smiling and happy as they catch their first fish. This is a AFA course which is part of the PAA it is level 2,today i passed my first aid test and im sure you would enjoy it as much as i am.If you would like some information on the courses send me an email i'll pass on some numbers for you.

Good luck with it all!

wendy

Thanks for the advice folks. I'll post an update when things begin to happen.

Reading through Simons article again, I can't my head around the fact that some of these kids were expelled from school.

Surely it should have been recognised that they had problems.

Simon, inspirational!

Bobby, brilliant, well done.

Wendy, exceptional, that's a great thing to do, I'm sure you'll qualify.

Just been listening to the news all the usual miserable stuff, our brave lads being killed in Iraq, an elderly couple watching their house collapse due to the flooding, Henman out of Wimbledon, surprise, and the bl**dy Spice Girls reforming, nothing to make you me feel good. Then I come on here and read this thread, the first positive thing all evening, well done Simon and keep it up. Isn't it amazing how something as simple as fishing can turn round kids who have been termed disruptive and difficult. Please keep on posting.