special Olympics is a great source and there are scout troops for the disable.

Harriet@

My son is starting therapeutic horse riding in a few weeks, and when next school year begins he will start a "little league" type thing. In my area they do sports all year round called little league, and the kids play baseball, then when the season is up bowling, then on and on based on season. Parents are involved and it teaches the children skills like patience, socializing, communication, etc. The program is set up for any child with disabilities and encourages the children by exposure. (example, they all get trophies its not win based, no competition). They may have something like that in your area. Also it depends what your little one likes. My son (6 yrs) will go and steal the ball from classmates (not sure why his teachers are letting him) and loves to mimic sport type activities. But yours may be more interested in music. My nephew (16) plays in a high school "band" and their drummer is autistic, and from what I hear does a great job may - not that i am telling you to go get a drum set, but you get the idea :)

Our son does well with Therapeutic horseback riding. We take him to the free kids monthly home depot workshops. It is of course loud but he does surprisingly well with building and enjoys painting.

Some of those things sound pretty demanding for an ASD. At least mine would find it difficult. We are lucky to have a vibrant community full of activities catering to special needs. Since my ASD isn't great in team related sports, he does swimming. We found community pool teachers who have experience with ASD and they are fantastic - plus he loves to swim. We also were able to find a karate instructor with experience and for some time he gave my child one on one classes. They key is to ask everyone and everywhere in your community the places that provide activities. Ask these places if they have special needs programs and ask instructors if they have experience or know someone.

If you have ASD oriented therapists or caregivers ask them. They may know.

My ASD also attends a special needs friendly exercise class and the routine and predictability and one on one focus works very well for him.

I think once you begin asking around and opening yourself to asking in odd places, you will find a world of possibility. They key is to always think about it and don't be afraid to ask.

Check out:
http://e-sports.org/

We even found a surf club that gives lessons to special needs kids... yes a surf club. And he loved it!

So mine does much better in one on one and very small group activities. And those that cater to special needs.

My 3-year-old takes swimming lessons in a class of NT kids. He loves it, and it's wonderful for brain function integration. It's helping him focus and they sometimes drill the alphabet and other types of learning activities. He seems more alert in the pool and more social and verbal immediately after he gets out.