Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Twice Exceptional Help for BIKE Riding

I posted about this in another thread about our journey with vision therapy but thought more might see (and find) this in its own thread.

I have a tall nearly 7 yr old DS who is newly diagnosed Dyspraxic and has a number of vision issues (convergence insufficiency, occulomotor delays, accommodative insufficiency, and tracking problems). He is also ADHD, has a general anxiety disorder, and not surprisingly cannot ride a bike. He only became able to pedal successfully last summer and still got "stuck" sometimes. He outgrew his old bikes and trikes. We have a new bigger bike that has been a disaster.

Socially this is beginning to be a limiting (and embarrassing) factor for him. Little boys ride bikes together and talk about their bikes. He is missing out and staying indoors more and more.

So what have those of you with your 2e kiddos used to successfully solve the Bike Problem?

I recently ordered one of these: Ybike Explorer Go Kart
My son responds highly to the bucket seat special needs swings at the parks so I thought the bucket seat would feel secure on that toy. It is also low to the ground and the steering should challenge him because of the bimodal mechanism. It is only pedal powered and looks cool so he will feel good about that. I still have not received it so no clue how it will actually work for him.

But I am still hoping to learn from others who have worked with older kids trying to master Bike Riding. So much of the "helps" don't fit big kids. So what have you used/done both successfully and not so much?

We bought our DD a trek float bike - the right size for a 5-8 yr old depending on size, looks like a normal bike but has quick release pedals so you can use it pedal free until they're ready for pedals.

Do you have a "Lose The Training Wheels" near you?

I just looked up Lose the Training Wheels and after a bit of difficulty found out it has been renamed "I can shine". Website is www.icanshine.org. Looks like a great program! We have to wait for a few months till they have one near us.

Now heading off to check the trek float....

Please keep the ideas coming!

Actually DD while 2e did not have this particular problem. But I would second MumOfThree's suggestion--apparently this is also common in e.g., Germany--kids there often learn to ride on bikes without pedals, so they get the balancing part first (and move by kicking along on either side of the bike). Of course this works much better in an area without hills, but anyway. Then when they get the balancing part down, you add the pedals. There was also something on NPR recently about a bike lesson for grownups in D.C. who had never learned to ride using the same technique to get going very quickly. Do you think something like that would help? But you said he had learned how to pedal--do you think maybe his bigger bike is too big or too heavy for him to manage easily? Maybe a bike on the small side would be easier for him.

Our kids were never interested in ride-on toys, despite us owning a tricycle, like-a-bike, big-wheels, and a plasma car (and now two kid-sized bicycles!)

DS (nearly 8) learned this spring when we took off the training wheels and pedals of his bike, and lowered the seat enough so his feet could easily touch the ground. Then we went to the nearby school, where there is a huge area of black top that slopes very gently (the sloping was key!) After a couple of weekends of short practice sessions, DS was able to go quite some distance without touching his feet to the ground. It was then that we put the pedals back on, and he was able to bike (at least in a straight line; going around obstacles is still difficult).

I know what you mean about being embarrassed about one's biking skills. DS's scout pack had a bicycle rodeo soon after he learned (this was our impetus for teaching him when we did), and nearly all the other kids were riding around easily. DS balked and hardly rode at all, even though he knew how, because he could see he wasn't yet as good as they were. The few practice sessions he's had since he learned have all been in the deserted schoolyard with as few people watching as possible.

FWIW, I was 12 when I finally learned, and my younger sister was 7. We were on vacation, and our mom rented bikes (sans training wheels) for us from the place we were staying. My sister didn't want any help and walked off to learn on her own. She came back a couple of hours later scraped, bruised, but successful. I think being by herself, with no one to "judge" her, helped a lot.

DD doesn't have a 2e issue which affects this, but she's just physically cautious. By the time she was ready to learn, she was tall and heavy enough that training wheels weren't a very effective thing.

We used one of these: Balance Buddy and an inexpensive used bmx-style bike that was a smidge on the SMALL side for her.

We are fortunate to have a university nearby with lovely paved paths along large flat quads-- PERFECT for learning to ride a bicycle. It took a couple of weekend afternoons, but she was riding independently in just a few hours, really.

We live on a ridge so once you get off our street there is a big hill. DD11 won't even try to ride a bike. She is terrified. We've tried taking her to the local church with the big flat, newly repaved black top -- no dice. DS8 taught himself this spring partially due to peer pressure. He has told her that learning to balance on his scooter helped him with the balance part of writing a bike. Now, she won't try the scooter. Grrr!

Yeah, we live atop a hill, too-- it was very scary to learn to ride a skateboard, scooter, or bicycle here at home-- we had to go down the hill to the neighborhood elementary school, which has a lovely flat blacktop area, or down to the university. At the time, I was working on campus, though, so that made it fairly convenient.

I second the motion for trying the no pedals thing. It worked like magic for my very cautious 5 yr old. 2 days of no pedals, 1 day back on the pedals. Best of luck to you, I know you will find the right thing at the right time for you little one.

We have two balance bikes on the way to us, so I'll need to report back once we have them and can try them out. You asked in the other thread about sizing, HappilyMom - they go all the way up to adult-sized (look at the "Glide Bike" brand).

We haven't solved this yet for DS10. I've heard great things about the no-pedals approach, and I'm hoping he gets motivated this summer to try something, one way or another, but we aren't pushing him. He gets very emotional about it and doesn't want anyone to see him trying. We must be perfect at everything the first time, as you know.

My DS wasn't able to really ride his bike until last summer (he was 8)... he's still quite clumsy on it, but he can ride it well enough. He doesn't really have any neighborhood friends to ride with though...

We purchased an old motor scooter for our DS. It scares me more than him.

Not 2e here either but can second (third?) the no-pedal thing too. With DS we did it the old fashioned way, running behind pushing, which I do not recommend! He learned at about 7 I think. With DD we found a better plan, which was to use the bike with training wheels for a few weeks to practice pedaling, then take the pedals off and use it as a balance bike for a few weeks, then put the pedals back on again, and voila! Worked a treat and DD was only 4. FWIW I think it helps to practice pedaling and balancing on the same bike then put the two together ...

Mine is 2E and the no pedals worked for her. She resisted for quite some time but we took the pedals off last fall on her 14" bike and told her to just use her feet (she was 48" tall then). It was May when she figured out balancing and we put the pedals back on. After a few wobbly weeks she figured it out and just moved up to a 16" bike. A 20" would be more appropriate and she can ride it but she's more comfortable on the smaller bikes. She's wobbly and not as confident as I expected after two months but doing great for a child with motor control issues! She just turned 7 Saturday, BTW.

My kid learned to ride a bike (without training wheels) last summer. We used the Balance Buddy, like HowlerKarma. We practiced in a school parking lot and on some random cul-de-sacs. I think it took 3 days or 4 hours. We also got knee pads, elbow pads etc (obviously, a helmet, too) -- he was scared about getting hurt. We also used a very smallish bike -- so he could just stop easily, if he needed to.

I'm in a similar boat with my ds7.5 / 2e too with bike riding. He was born with dyspraxia and a host of gross/fine motor issues. He's real pipsqueak though so he's still riding the small bike with training wheels, which I plan to give to my niece who's 3.5 yrs old and not 2e asap.

My ds7.5 told me today that he doesn't want try things because he feels failing. Great. Thanks for the confirmation, but you still have to do therapy buddy, sorry.

Riding a bike and swimming are fantastic exercises to use both sides of the brain and body evenly. Great bilateral work, not to mention the balance and coordination needed.

I think you meant "fears" failing? Not wanting to try something that he knows he will have a tough time with has been an ongoing challenge for my dyspraxic ds13. It took me quite a few years to realize he actually had a good intuition about the kinds of tasks which would be extroadinarily challenging for him compared to my expectations of neurotypical kids. Over time we've worked out a combination that helps us through the fear of failure preventing a start - I listen and ask ds questions to talk him through all the possible things that might happen if he tries and it doesn't work, as well as talking him through the basics of how to do whatever it is - and I'm talking really basic here. So that's ds' role in the system - he talks his fears over with me and that sometimes lessens them, and I help him mentally prepare by talking through how I, as a nt person, would approach and accomplish a task. A lot of the time he will give me feedback about some little tiny something that just doesn't work for him. One example is that he can't spit - that came up as a reason for not wanting to try something else that was so far-flung from spitting at first glance I never would have guessed he was thinking about it. The second part of this combo is my end of the deal - I need to remember that some very simple things involving coordination of body movements are not only not second nature for kids with dyspraxia, they can be very very difficult and take much more repetition than for a nt child to learn, and some movements might never become "automatic".

OTOH, some things that are difficult "now" may become easier to learn later on as he matures - we've seen this over and over again from crawling to walking to thing shoes to bike riding - he's learned how to do all of those things, they just took longer than for a nt child and they happened later in years than for a nt child. When we've run into things that were difficult like learning to ride a bike etc, the thing that worked for our ds was to back off completely and focus on other things - that gave him a chance to learn later when he was more ready to learn the skill, so when he tried again, mastering the skill came quicker. DS didn't learn how to ride a bike until later than the neighbor kids, so we did other things with him. Eventually there came a day when he asked to try and after quite a few failed attempts he got it, and today mountain biking is one of his favorite sports - so although he started later than the neighborhood kids it proved to be the sport that he held onto into his teens and he's now actually better at it than many kids.

So that's my 2 cents - don't push, find something else to work on if it's a struggle. I'm also guessing that it's going to be much easier to learn to ride after vision therapy!

Best wishes,

polarbear

Thanks for all the ideas and experience!! I especially appreciate the 2e experience because it is a different set of issues on top of what others have to address.

We are so excited to have our new vehicle arrive here today! Polar like you suggested it is sort of a break from the bike idea for a bit but still fulfilling his need to "get out there".

He has already named the new vehicle: "The Kid Zord Power Rover" and we have a little theme-song that he has been singing with me at home. We just started OT this week and finished our second session. He LOVES his therapy place and therapist. He works really hard for her and begs to stay bit longer when his hour is up. However, back at home after therapy his resiliency is used up and we are dealing with meltdown mania. So working on a new skill at home too will not be possible right now. We are working more on soothing activities and heavy work/organizing in between times. I'm hoping being able to ride his Kid Zord Power Rover is going to help with that.

I need to learn to do what you do! DS has such ...interesting... difficulties with some things, and even before I learned the words "apraxia" and "dyspraxia", I had eventually began to tell people that he had a lack of kinesthesia. A good, solid approach like yours might be just the ticket!

DD9 is not diagnosed with any LD issues but has never been very coordinated and has anxiety. When we taught her to bike, which was one of THE HARDEST parenting tasks I have undertaken thus far!!, I finally just stopped saying anything to her and simply held the back of the bike for her when she asked and let go when she asked. I did not offer any advice at all. She had to figure it out herself. She is very stubborn and lashes out at anyone nearby when afraid. She did learn. She was 7.

We also bought knee and elbow pads and practiced on a well-mown, flat grassy field.

You know, it's not fair of me to even say she's not coordinated now. I would have once said she was in the bottom 15% for athleticism. Now I would put her at the 30th-40th% or so. As with many things with DD, we have seen a slow but steady improvement with age. We do keep her pretty active.

YES. Our DD was 8, nearly 9 before we pressed her to really learn.

Just wanted to add that DS10 learned to ride his bike last weekend, and it was virtually painless. I cleaned it up and aired up the tires a couple weeks ago, and it's been sitting there waiting for him to talk himself into it. I suggested offhand that the evening had cooled off and we ought to try his bike, on Saturday night, and to my surprise, he agreed. He got on, had a horrible time initially with trying to get his second foot on the pedal, and I saw that the seat was way too low. Not surprising, since he won that bike when he was in first grade (way too big for him then). So I raised the seat, and he got on and just took off! He had some wobbly moments, figuring out how to steer and pedal at the same time, but he did really well. He rode around until it was too dark to see.

Sunday, he rode across town (2 miles) to his friend's house, and rode back with his friend to play in the river. Friend took off later with another friend, and he went out around town to find them. I can't believe he could still move on Monday.

It was like he built up this wall in his head all these years, and when he went to push it over, it was just a house of cards. He's ready to tackle swimming now. Summer just got a whole lot bigger!

Nautigal: oh, that's lovely!

DeeDee

Reporting back, both the bikes we ordered were too small, although the one we ordered for DD9 actually fits DS5 pretty well. That said, DD9 was able to glide for a few seconds on hers right out of the gate. Even though it's really too small, we're going to let her use it to practice for a bit before she passes it on to DS5. We'll probably get a "regular" bike for her and take the pedals off.