‘Finding Their Thing’ – Part 1: The Benefits of Extracurricular Activities for Neurodiverse Children
Finding the ‘right’ extracurricular activity for your child or young person can feel like a lot, and comes with many questions. What would my child enjoy? Will they cater for my child? Will they understand my child? Are there too many rules? Too many children? Will there be sufficient structure? Will the sensory environment be too much? So many considerations………. But when you find the right fit, your child can benefit in extraordinary ways.
Due to the importance of this topic we have broken the blog into two parts. In this blog, we explore why extracurricular activities matter and a little of the neuroscience behind them.
Why Extracurricular Activities Matter
For children who experience neurodiversity, structured activities outside of school allows them opportunities to experience success on their own terms.
- Discovery and development of interests and talents School measures a very narrow band of ability. Extracurricular activities open a wider world for neurodiverse children to explore. Many discover genuine passion and talent in areas like music, sport and physical movement, performing arts and drama, technology and coding, animal care and the creative arts. These are all spaces where their unique ways of thinking and engaging with the world becomes an asset rather than a challenge.
- Confidence and Value The ideal activity will reveal your child’s strengths. This provides encouragement for them to push themselves and grow, helping them develop autonomy and self-efficacy. Belonging to a group, club or organisation also provides a sense of purpose, belonging and feeling valued.
- Routine and structure Many neurodiverse children thrive with predictability. A weekly activity that follows a consistent format via the same place, same time and same sequence, provides a rhythm for the nervous system to settle into. Over time, that sense of safety and familiarity builds confidence and reduces anxiety around new experiences.
- Social connection Shared interests provide a natural foundation for friendship. When a child is doing something they love alongside others who feel the same way, social interaction becomes more organic and less pressured. For children who find unstructured social situations overwhelming, an activity provides a natural framework for connection.
- Social skill development This happens most naturally when children are doing something they love. Taking turns, winning and losing, following instructions and teamwork are all skills that can be practiced repeatedly as they are all woven into the fabric of extracurricular activities.
- Nervous system regulation Physical movement, creative expression, and rhythmic activities all support nervous system regulation. Activities like swimming, martial arts, dance, drumming, and yoga are particularly powerful for children who carry a lot of sensory or emotional load throughout their day.
The neuroscience also supports the value of extracurricular activities. Research shows that physical movement boosts the brain chemicals responsible for focus, emotional regulation and learning, whilst music training has been shown to accelerate brain development, and improve reading and memory. Play and enjoyable novelty activities are also powerful drivers of neuroplasticity, which is the brains ability to rewire and adapt.
Finding their thing is a journey and you don’t have to figure it all out at once.
Next, in Part 2 of this series, we will explore a range of activity ideas and where to start looking, what to consider before enrolling and a couple of tips to keep in mind along the way.
