Neurodivergence and Parkour (Part 1)

Parkour offers a unique atmosphere and community for neurodivergent individuals to be themself while learning about being part of a team and working with others. Parkour offers similarities to team sports with the community atmosphere, working with others in class, physical activity, confidence boost, and mental health support. However, parkour does not include all the rules, strict processes, expectations to conform or stress involved in team sports. Many students who do not excel in team sports due to one or many reasons find parkour is their sweet spot. 

In our parkour classes at Parkour East Texas we teach safe movement principles to help students build a tool box full of knowledge and skill so they can create their own path and movement in life. We help students be confident in their uniqueness while also learning to think about others and how they can use their uniqueness as a way to bless others. We do not have all the rules that gymnastics and other sports have, so neurodivergent individuals who enjoy creative expression and thought can learn how to work in a class setting and also have room for their own creativity and thought processes.

Our environment is positive and uplifting. We encourage each student to pursue being a little better every day. This means that students who come in without much athletic experience can still have fun and see themself being successful. This also means that students who come in with a previous athletic background have space to be challenged! Because we do not focus on competition with others, but instead competition against who you were yesterday, everyone can be successful. This helps students build confidence and supports healthy self-esteem as well as contributes to our positive atmosphere.

Neurodivergent students can choose to start with a MAND or a Level 1 class. Here are some questions to help you decide where to start your child.

• Would my child benefit from a less restrictive environment and extra prompts and verbal cues? 
• Does my child need support from me to participate in a successful manner?
• Would my child benefit from a smaller class setting?
• Am I on the fence about MAND or Level 1?
• Would my child benefit from a shorter (45 min vs 55 min) class?

If you answered "Yes" to any of these questions then we encourage you to start your child in a MAND class. It is better for a child to bump up to Level 1 for a confidence boost instead of starting with Level 1 and getting overwhelmed.

Here are some questions to help you know if your neurodivergent child would benefit from parkour:

• Does my child enjoy being uniquely themself?
• Does my child like playing and having fun?
• Does my child have excess energy they need to learn to control?
• Does my child not like working out and need to learn to have a healthy view of exercise?
• Does my child feel like they don't always fit into the "normal" mold or popular team sport atmosphere?

If you answered "Yes" to any of these questions we encourage you to sign up for a free trial class and learn more about parkour!

Written by Hannah Waddle with support form Rachel Dean