“Each child has abilities, they just need to be discovered.” Coach Dinara Kayumova - about the training camp at the Academy

Adaptive rhythmic gymnastics coach Dinara Kayumova spoke about the specifics of working with special needs children during the charity training camp at the Alina Kabaeva Sky Grace Rhythmic Gymnastics Academy.

“It's actually not hard to work with them. Healthy children and children with special needs are about the same. It's just that healthy children are more independent, disciplined, they can understand the information when given for the first time, they do not need to have it repeated every workout. They remember and hear better. And children with special needs require more attention, work, repetition of the studied material. We repeat the same thing every time, because it is difficult for them to memorize exercises, movements, and work with the object, but we are slowly making progress,” Dinara said.

Dinara also noted that working with children requires a smile, love and even a special glance. “Children, especially special needs children, are very loving, tactile, love hugs, kisses - this is very important for them. And it is important that the person they are drawn to is also drawn to them, otherwise it will not work to make friends with them,” she said.

Speaking about the impact of rhythmic gymnastics on the health of children, the coach mentioned her 22-year-old student as an example. “Her mother said that thanks to gymnastics, her daughter began to speak and remember better,” Dinara explained. “Of course, coordination abilities are developing. Children begin to understand, remember, react, and talk better. They improve absolutely everything, not only physical qualities. Every child has some kind of ability, it just needs to be discovered and everything will work out!”

Charitable training camps for children with special needs from Kazan are held at Alina Kabaeva Sky Grace Rhythmic Gymnastics Academy in Sochi June 1-8.  The program includes general physical training, acrobatics, stretching, working on elements, individual training, games, relay races and swimming in the pool.