The issue with this, although seemingly obvious, is many youths miss out on their ability to develop optimally due to conflicting programming: I set a heavy rep scheme, the other coach set a heavy rep scheme — and who suffers?

Another example I hear you say? This athlete also suffers with pre-match anxiety and consults with a sport psychologist. Here, two agencies are working with the individual but are having little to no contact, so while the athlete is benefitting from psychological support, they are still feeling tight-chested and nervous before competing.

In the absence of communication here, both disciplines think they are doing right by the athlete. Where there is little-to-no communication, those who are supporting an athlete become islands.

Sure, they may make tiny gains in developing athleticism, but a collaborative approach has the benefit of widening the magnifying glass, allowing coaches, teachers and sports scientists to observe how different disciplines work together for the benefit of the athlete See figure below.

Figure 1: Mono, multi, and inter disciplinary support and its ability to make meaningful change. Unlike a multidisciplinary approach, interdisciplinary models attempt to align theoretical principles with practical delivery solutions in a coordinated and integrated manner. Collaborative problem-solving can support sports scientists in appreciating the diverse ways of thinking, approaching, and developing new systems or ways of practice.

For example, interdisciplinary approaches heighten the risk of:. Getting to know your athletes is an essential part of being a great coach, teacher and sports scientist. Coaching — Moments where an athlete confides that your work is similar to what they are doing at their academy or club marks a really great way to get buy-in.

Once they tell you this, show as much interest as possible. Find out what they do, how they do it, and how they are coached through the movement. Reserve any judgement. In the first encounter, the most important objective in my opinion is to be human.

Topical subjects, discussing your relationship with the athlete and being empathetic to their role is important. Promoting a positive environment in this first encounter is essential.

Being accepting of their ideas and showing a strong willingness to share is a great way to remove any barriers that may exist. To elaborate on this further, encouraging the other party to describe their role with this athlete, being appreciative of their efforts and offering helpful feedback are all great ways to show shared purpose.

People who feel appreciated are often inclined to speak again. My biggest advice here is to drop your ego and go in with an open policy to change. Coaches, parents and other sports scientists tend to jump to conclusions in the absence of context.

Conclusions drawn from pure speculation are very seldom accurate, especially when there is emotion involved.

If you are unsure what an individual means, ask them to clarify and give them the opportunity to provide some more context. Usually, you can clear up any misconceptions here. However, an important point to remember on your first encounter is not to be a pushover, especially if you are the first person to make contact.

Good relationships are reciprocal, and you can gain value by digging in your heels from time to time and showing that your intentions do matter. Listening more than you talk, nodding and offering your insight on the individual helps to reinforce your common purpose the athlete.

The benefits of this are twofold. As mentioned earlier, never play down the importance of your objectives. General General. Protective Behaviors. English French Spanish Chinese Russian. Sports Essentials. Special Olympics Young Athletes is a sport and play program for children with and without intellectual disabilities ID , ages 2 to 7 years old.

Young Athletes Activity Guide. Young Athletes Activity Videos. Training Young Athletes Coaches. Resources for School and Community Programs. Ways to give to Special Olympics. Inclusive Health. Download the Young Athletes App. Lets Play Together. Special Olympics Young Athletes program is an inclusive and welcoming learning environment for children with and without intellectual disabilities from ages 2 to 7 years old.

Young Athletes programs provide a focus on teamwork while also teaching children basic sports skills such as running, kicking and throwing.

At Young Athletes, I see him move about, smiling and mixing freely with others. It makes me cry tears of happiness and restores my hope that he can be independent one day. Early Childhood Development Advisory Committee Special Olympics engages academic and scientific experts to support the successful development and implementation of Young Athletes and holistic early childhood programming for children with intellectual disabilities.

Dimitri Christakis, MD, PhD Special Olympics Seattle Children's Research Institute Co-Chair. Timothy Shriver, PhD Special Olympics Co-Chair. Linda Mayes, MD Yale School of Medicine Co-Chair. Eva Björck, PhD Jönköping University. Kristie Bjornson, PT, PhD Seattle Children's Hospital. Juan Bornman, PhD University of Pretoria.

Mary Beth Bruder, PhD University of Connecticut. Michael Guralnick, PhD University of Washington. Fatima Ismail, MD United Arab Emirates University. Patricia Kuhl, PhD University of Washington. Benjamin Schindel, MD Kennedy Krieger Institute.

Sandra Willett, PhD, PT, PCS Colorado Mesa University. Asma Zaidi, PhD Association of Primary Education and Research APER. Young Athletes Special Olympics Young Athletes is a sport and play program for children with and without intellectual disabilities ID , ages 2 to 7 years old.