Ben is a very active, non-verbal, autistic, 6 year old boy. Before attending Ride United Ben was finding it difficult to coordinate himself to be able to pedal a bike and steer at the same time. Mum would have to guide him around by steering for him. Mum has historically found it hard to attend organised events as it can often feel stressful and unsafe and frequently leading to overwhelm for Ben.
Since attending the launch of Ride United o n September 5th, Ben has shown u p for every weekly session. Mum reports that this is the first time her son has consistently chosen to attend an activity. In just a few short weeks Ben is now able to ride a trike independently and is sleeping better at night. Ben i s also now actively seeking attention and communication from support staff, with lots of eye contact and wanting to hold hands when taking a break from cycling, which Mum happily reports is a wonderful sign that Ben is really enjoying attending Ride United.
An email sent from Mum after the launch event.
“Just wanted to say thank you so much for all your help with our cycle ride on Friday at Kings Lynn.
Ben enjoyed himself so much. He never had got the hang of pedals and steering and he did both. I t was such a great moment for both of us.
Also how welcoming everyone was it meant the world to me. Norm