Hi! Welcome! My son is an Aspie, too. He does not compete, but he does take rec classes for fun. Does your coach know about Aspies, and has he had any training that you know of regarding spectrum issues and communication? I have learned several things about my son that help with communication in general. Before his dx, I never realized that I wasn't being direct with my choice of words. When he asks me a question, now I know to answer with "yes"or "no" instead of "maybe, we'll see, possibly" etc... I had no idea how much I was doing that before. Teasing, sarcasm and joking are also difficult for him for him to process, and visual examples are very helpful.
With all of that in mind, there are things you can do to help:
- Tell your coach directly that you are having trouble with communication, so he knows to check and make sure you understand all directions and corrections each time they are given.
- If you aren't wording your questions the way you really need to, stop and say, "I'm sorry. That isn't what I mean, but I'm having trouble finding the right way to ask," or some phrase similar to that. Your coach can't read your mind, so that will help him know that you still need a different explanation.
- Ask him to show you or have another gymnast show you. Visual examples are powerful.
- Become familiar with all gymnastics lingo. There are so many nicknames and phrases coaches use that don't translate to every day language. If you don't understand a term, tell him.
- Research your questions in YouTube videos. If someone on this forum uses a gymnastics term I don't know, sometimes I'll search for that word and a video of that skill comes up. It is very helpful!
- Ask your coach to take a video of you. My son can't always feel what is happening to him correctly. For example, he REALLY thinks he is doing a forward roll "straight" onto a mat, but he is actually crooked - mainly rolling while tilted on one shoulder. Telling him to roll straight does no good, because he can't feel the difference. He thinks he is straight. But...if he sees a video of himself doing it, THEN he can understand what is wrong and what I am asking him to do. The Coach's Eye app is fantastic for that use, and it can be used from a phone, so it is so easy.
Good luck! I hope this was helpful for you.
I figured maybe someone here would have some ideas for answers to some of the things i am having trouble with.
