Over a recent long weekend I participated in a 4-day camp that teaches children with disabilities how to ride a bike. One of the participants in this camp was my son Daniel, who is six and has autism. The bi-annual camp was put together through a partnership between the Sonoma State Kinesiology department and United Cerebral Palsy of the North Bay. The camp contracts with the agency Lose the Training Wheels and uses specialized bikes to help kids of all ages and disabilities gain the confidence to riding a two-wheeler.

The specialized bikes have a roller as the back wheel which helps with gaining the feel of balance (click here for a photo gallery of the bike from different angles). There are several levels of bikes as the children progress towards a two-wheeler. The adapted bikes were designed by Dr. Richard Klein, a retired math professor and mechanical engineer. He and his wife travel across the country running camps like this, and they have taught over 3000 children with developmental disabilities.

Dr. Klein explained that in his experience with children with autism, once they turn 10, have about a 95% success rate of riding a bike independently using these bikes.

Under the watchful eye of his trainers (an SSU student named Colin and camp coordinator, Rachael) and the constant encouragement of his sister, Daniel was able to progress to one level short of riding a two-wheeler by day 3 (We missed day 4 due to a touch of stomach flu).

Watching all the children experience excitement, confidence and independence is enough for any parent to get emotional. This was a fantastic experience for those who attended and a snapshot of some really good work going on for children with disabilities. The next camp, which is for biking and swimming, will take place in June at Sonoma State.

To learn more, you can read a news article about the recent bike camp that appeared in the Press Democrat.

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