Boston Bear Cubs Take the Ice

John Quill, an immigration attorney in the Boston area and the father of 8-year-old Sean Quill, is also a huge fan of ice hockey. He'd been looking for a team for Sean, who is autistic. So when a friend told Quill about an innovative hockey program tailored for children with special needs, Quill contacted the American Special Hockey Association.

Quill learned that although many cities across the country had started such programs, Boston wasn't one of them. That's all the father of three needed to hear. In the fall of 2005, Quill started the Massachusetts Special Hockey Association. The Boston Bear Cubs took to the ice for the first time in February 2006 and finished their first full season in May.

"When John told me that he was going to coach this team, my first thought was...when—where was he going to find the time?" remarked Julie Quill, John's wife. "However, at the same time I was very proud of him for taking on a project like this. Hockey is John's love and it is wonderful for him to have that connection with his son."

According to Quill, the Bear Cub's debut roster consisted of 12 players, each of whom has a developmental disability that would prevent them from playing on a typical recreational hockey team. Most of the players have Down Syndrome or are on the Autism Spectrum—those diagnosed with Autism, Pervasive Developmental Disorder (PDD), or Asperger Syndrome. The program does require that a child be able to walk without assistance, but no previous skating experience is needed.

Finding Their Way on the Ice

"None of the kids had played hockey before," Quill remarked. "Some of the kids had skated before, and a few had never skated, so we worked on teaching them to skate before starting any drills. It's been pretty remarkable to see them take to hockey. I'm not sure what it is, but people who have been coaching special hockey for a long time say that it really changes some of the kids when they are on the ice."

One of those kids who has been transformed is nine-year-old Harrison Deady of Quincy. Harrison has PDD and prior to joining the Bear Cubs had very little interest in sports. Harrison and his mom Barbara, who found out about the special hockey program on the Internet, showed up every Saturday morning from the program's inception through May. They had previously experienced the let-down of town recreation programs where they typically signed up, had gone to a few practices and then stopped attending. Many children like Harrison are turned off from sports because they are intimidated by the many rules, which can be overwhelming to a child with special needs.

"At first, I didn't tell him we were going to hockey, I just said, let's go skating today," Barbara Deady explained. "Then one week turned into another and before you knew it, he was really enjoying it. He received his own uniform and regulation helmet and I never saw him so excited. Now, he goes around telling people 'I play hockey.'" There aren't many things that Harrison likes to do, so when I find something that interests him, I'll move heaven and earth to do it."

The Bear Cubs program welcomes parents to join their children on the ice along with program volunteers each Saturday morning for the one-hour sessions held at the Pilgrim Skating Arena in Hingham.

Bear Cub Teammates

Just handling a hockey stick can be an enormous task for the players, but by the end of the season, the team was skating well enough to play what are called "cross-ice" games, where both goals are brought to one end of the rink and placed across from each other on the sides, so that the game is played using the width of the rink rather than the length. "Cross ice hockey is great for kids who are just learning because they are always close to the puck," explained Quill.

For the games, the young players took on the parents and coaches, so the kids could build their team identity.

Surprising Themselves, and Others

The Bear Cubs program is attentive to the challenges each individual player faces. Some of the children are non-verbal, so the coaches use signs to communicate during games. Others don't like the sound of the buzzer or whistle during practice, so coaches find other ways to get the players' attention.

"When Harrison first joined the Bear Cubs he would skate off by himself," his mother recalled. "By the end of May, he was communicating with one particular teammate, encouraging him to chase him. This program increases communications skills, and creates bonds and friendships. That's something we tend to take for granted."

Bear Cub Sean Quill with Coach Julie Devine

John Quill's son Sean plays on the swing set in his backyard and is learning to ride a bike, but he sometimes has a hard time in school gym classes—his gross motor skills lag behind those of his peers. He was first introduced to skating a few years ago, when his father, who still plays hockey once a week in a men's league, took him to a Seahawks Learn to Skate program.

"To see Sean off the ice, you wouldn't expect him to be a very strong skater," Quill said, "but he surprises just about everyone with his skating ability."

Building Up the "Selfs"

"Physical activity for children has so many terrific benefits—the most obvious being fitness and teaching a healthy lifestyle," said Dr. Adam Naylor, coordinator of the Boston University Athletic Enhancement Center and a sport psychology coach. "I believe just as importantly, in well-coached and designed programs, many social skills are learned and the 'selfs' are developed, such as self-confidence, self-esteem, self-control, and self-efficacy. Children with special needs also get these benefits. While 'normal' educational approaches might fail with special needs students, the activity, creativity, and personal attention provided through special needs hockey has the potential to engage their learning."

Mike Hickey couldn't agree more.

"I have had parents tell me that they have spent thousands of dollars on occupational therapy and that having their child in one of these hockey programs is like getting it practically for free," said Hickey, president of the American Special Hockey Association. "It's also more than just a hockey program, it's a support group for parents."

Hickey, who founded the Washington Ice Dogs special hockey team seven years ago in Laurel, Maryland, said there are currently thirty special hockey teams in twenty-one cities across the country.

"I always felt that no matter how our program expanded, it wouldn't be complete until we started teams in Massachusetts and Minnesota," Hickey said. (Minnesota Special Hockey was launched about the same time as the Bear Cubs, with two teams.) "And that has now happened. When people think of ice hockey, those areas of the country are the first that come to mind. Our goals are to help foster growth of the new programs and support our existing teams."

Nurturing New Relationships

Hickey added that through special hockey, a successful mentor program has also evolved. High school hockey players complete hours of community service by volunteering their time teaching skills to participants and they often get just as much out of the program as the children they are working with do. "The mentor program really is a win-win for everyone involved," Hickey said.

Two high school players from Norwell and Scituate High Schools mentored the Boston Bear Cubs this season, and Quill hopes that more will take part next year.

"I am amazed at the number of volunteers who dedicate their time to this program," Deady remarked. "And most of them don't have children of their own. They are doing this by the kindness of their heart. It's unbelievable."

Quill is optimistic about the Bear Cub's future. One goal he hopes to accomplish next season is to travel with his team to one of the Special Hockey tournaments held each year.

"The best part of this program is giving my son and other kids like him the chance to play hockey," Quill explained. "These are kids who may never get to play in an organized youth league or a high school team, so this gives them a chance that they otherwise wouldn't have. Sure, some of the kids get frustrated at times, but for the most part we see lots of smiles and laughter. I don't know if Sean will ever be able to play Little League, go to the prom or drive a car, but we can skate each week and I can hold his hand and tug him along as we zoom around the rink. That's pretty cool."

Lisa M. Cataldo is a freelance writer in Boston, Massachusetts.