In Spain, children and young people with Autism Spectrum Disorder Level 3 remain largely excluded from ordinary sport, held back by structured environments, adapted materials and specialised staff that are still too rare. Most of them are non-verbal and also live with behavioural and sleep disorders, and need a level of predictability that standard sport settings simply do not offer.
Without it, the effects build up over time, from sedentary habits and low muscle tone to more disruptive behaviour as energy finds no outlet, while families live under constant strain because specialised respite care is hard to find. Treating sport as a right rather than a concession means building environments where safety and predictability come first.
The project
"Deporte para Todos, Jugamos y Ganamos" offers structured, adapted sport to these children and young people, replacing unpredictable settings with personalised, one-to-one support and clear, consistent routines. Sessions cover several disciplines chosen for their therapeutic value: athletics and cycling on adapted tricycles to build gross motor coordination, balance and endurance, swimming as a low-impact way to support sensory regulation and muscle tone, and skating, badminton and hockey to build attention, hand-eye coordination and tolerance for frustration. Every activity uses visual supports and fixed routines to keep the environment predictable, with specialised staff and equipment suited for intensive, safe use.
The goal is continued, safe access to adapted physical activity that improves physical wellbeing, motor coordination and behavioural regulation, while building autonomy, self-esteem and social participation on equal terms. Sport becomes a therapeutic tool and a way to exercise a right, treating the complexity of each participant's needs as something to plan around rather than a barrier to entry.
Who the project is for
The project's direct beneficiaries are 57 children and young people with an Autism Spectrum Disorder diagnosis and high support needs, many of them non-verbal and living with behavioural and sleep disorders, a number that reflects an intensive model, with support ratios of up to one to one, that puts safety and technical quality ahead of scale.
The project also reaches a further 57 families indirectly, for whom it works as a resource for respite and conciliation: better behavioural regulation and sleep in their children ease the daily strain on caregivers and improve wellbeing across the whole household. In total, the wider service supports around 100 children, young people and their families.
Project name: DEPORTE PARA TODOS, JUGAMOS Y GANAMOS
Proposing organisation: ASOCIACIÓN AUTISMO ARAYA
Area of intervention: Inclusion & Social Development
Country: Spain