Ryan recently delivered a one-hour basketball workshop to my class of four and five-year-olds, all of whom have extremely complex medical, physical and cognitive differences. My children are non-verbal and rely on a variety of machines and equipment. However, despite all of these variables, Ryan was not only unfazed but embraced each child for who they are and what they CAN do!Ryan immediately formed trusting relationships with my children, which can often be a challenge due to the nature of their needs. Where many people may feel intimidated or even scared, Ryan jumped right in, instantly adapting activities to ensure every child could participate. He intuitively knew how to support my children, giving them the time they needed to process instructions and complete activities as independently as possible, without needing to be asked.Ryan spoke to the children as they are—children—not talking down to them or assuming they wouldn’t understand, which is unfortunately a common experience with many professionals. He treated them with respect, dignity, and patience, making a huge difference to their experience.Even when machines went off or medical needs arose during the session, Ryan never let it disrupt his engagement with the children. Every child was included in the activities regardless of their needs and what was going on in the classroom.Ryan, thank you for not underestimating my children and seeing their potential-it was obvious my children had a great time through their engagement, facial expressions, body language and vocalisations!
