Recent research theorizes that autism may be caused by weaknesses in the brain's default network which connects the different regions of the brain. Often times autistic children excel at detailed individual tasks such as spelling and word recognition, but have trouble understanding the larger picture, like comprehending the meaning of a story. Socialization, communication and other complex tasks are difficult for ASD children.

Research from the National Institue of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) Collaborative Program of Excellence in Autism (CPEA) suggests that therapies emphasizing problem solving skills and tasks that activate multiple brain areas at the same time, such as soccer, can help people improve brain functioning.Read more about this research.

Soccer is a sport which is constantly moving. There are no timeouts, no breaks where a person can get distracted and diverted. It's a fast moving, visual game that involves continuous changes in balance, spatial orientation, left-right foot movement and social interaction - all while having fun. Playing soccer exercises the brain and the neural network which connects the different brain areas together.

So why don't more autistic children play soccer? Soccer coaches traditionally follow pre-planned drills and practice sessions when training soccer players. These scripted methods do not work for autistic children. Coaches often conclude that these children are uncoachable because they can't follow instructions as the rest of the team does.

Autistic children need to be coached differently. Each child is different and the coach needs to find out what interests and motivates each child. Once the child wants to play, the coach can lead him to develop more challenging, brain stimulating games.

Apopka FC, a soccer club in Apopka, Florida (AFC), runs a successful special needs soccer program along with its training partner Complete Soccer Academy (CSA). When it first began, the program's mission was to improve the quality of life and bring enjoyment to children with special needs through soccer. The goal was for every child to have fun and be successful. 

What the coaches found was that children on the high functioning end of the autism spectrum who consistently attended the soccer classes made remarkable progress in their overall functioning. Parents report that children's eye contact, speech, behavior, interest in others and communication have greatly improved because of soccer. Many children have been successfully integrated into the mainstream soccer classes. 

Our goal is to give coaches, PE teachers, and parents techniques to help ASD children in their communities.