Mission Statement

The Special Skills Academy is a platform that advocates for athletes with special needs. Our mission is to provide professional resources that enhance athletic skills, social skills, health, confidence, and quality of life for our Special Athletes. Our structured basketball skills program provides a safe and conducive environment for families within the special needs community. We aim to raise awareness of the importance of equality and acceptance, providing our special athletes with elite-level services.

Training phases include Dynamic Stretching, Ball Handling, Shooting, Footwork, and Team Work. The Special Skills Academy is FREE for kids with special needs.

This service is provided by our 501c3 charity, Saving Soles For Kids. Donate today to support our mission.

Basketball Accessible to All

Basketball hoops are a familiar sight as you drive through practically any neighborhood or even business location with recreational amenities. Many children play pickup games with their pals or shoot hoops in the driveway as they become older. Even children who are unaware of the game's rules have certainly participated in a game of Knock-Out or Horse during physical education classes or day camps.

These activities, whether they are friendly or competitive in character, can make special needs children feel unwelcome and inadequate. Basketball for children with special needs is an excellent opportunity for these youngsters to try something new in a secure setting while also receiving direction and coaching, fostering social contacts, and boosting their self-confidence.

Basketball programs for these kids are often created with professional instructors and coaches who can work individually with each child to teach him or her the fundamentals of the game. Special needs children have a broad range of developmental demands. Special needs children will be addressed at their level and helped to move through the skills on the court, from fundamentals like dribbling to more complex techniques like blocking and free throws. Special needs children may occasionally be partnered with a peer or staff mentor who may lead by example and offer even more specialized care.

Special Skills Academy offers training to people, gyms, and recreation centers that want to offer fitness coaching and recreation activities to people with autism spectrum disorders and other special needs.

This program offers customized fitness instruction and aids in the development of social skills necessary for moving about a gym as independently and appropriately as feasible. Personal attention and relatively small group settings are used for this training. This session is held at one of our gym partners with complete accessibility.

The majority of schools don't allow special needs students with autism to participate in team sports. Positive conditions for linguistic exchanges, pleasant play, and overall social development can be found in settings where these children can really join teams and learn how to be team players. As a team learns to move down the court together, basketball in particular presents a tremendous chance for both verbal and physical collaboration. Players gain knowledge on how and when to signal their openness, receive the ball, and communicate through nonverbal cues or vocal calls to the person they want to pass the ball to. Children will also learn how to cooperate off the court, particularly in areas like supporting their teammates, exhibiting excellent sportsmanship, and showing respect to others, including their own teammates, coaches, officials, and players from opposing teams. Children will benefit from learning social and cooperation skills in a variety of contexts.

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