The athletic department of a Northern New Jersey college helped at a Special Olympics earlier this year, the school's athletic department announced.
The Kean University Occupational Therapy and Recreational Therapy departments helped sponsor the 3rd Annual Special Olympics Young Athlete Program. Also involved with the program were the school's Special Education, Physical Education, Athletics and Athletic Training departments. The Young Athlete Program was created by the Special Olympics about five years ago.
The program aims to present sports to intellectually disabled children aged two-and-a-half to 7 years old. The program also serves as a base for fun and play. Volunteers, who likely included people who aspire to fill occupational therapy jobs, staffed numerous activity stations for the participants' involvement.
The volunteers' efforts included helping with skill development by aiding the athletes' movement through eight sporting activities that work on specific cognitive and basic gross motor skills.
The athletes worked on walking, running, balancing, jumping, trapping and catching. As their skills advanced, the athletes also worked on throwing, striking and kicking.
Motivating young athletes to play, pick up new skills and enjoy themselves was the main theme.