Cheers From The Challenged

Cheerleading Team Brings Kids With Developmental Disabilities Out Of Their Shells

(CBS)  When Chloe Thomas became a cheerleader, her life went from solitary to social.

"She met girls that were more like her, that she could associate with, and it just really brought her out," her mother, Laura says.

Chloe, who's 14 years old, has a developmental disability. But on the "Destiny All Stars" cheerleading team, that's nothing unusual, because everyone does, reports CBS News correspondent Jeff Glor.

From Down syndrome to autism, the disabilities that exclude children from most cheerleading squads have brought them together in this one.

During weekly 90 minute practices, Chloe found what every adolescent craves: a sense of belonging.

"I get to meet new friends and cheer a lot," she says.

Destiny, which is based in Gaithersburg, is riding a nation-wide wave that has doubled in size in the past year. There are nearly 160 squads of special-needs cheerleaders in 34 states. Dr. Allen Crocker, an expert in the field, says the program bucks society's tendency to leave kids with disabilities behind.

Now the girls have play dates, tea parties and sleepovers. Thirteen-year-old Clare, who rarely speaks, found her first friend here, in assistant Marlo Bloom.

"If I say Marlo's name you can see the brightness in her eyes and she kind of smiles a little bit," says her mom, Paula Kearney.

Clare has both Down syndrome and autism. At first, her mother was skeptical.

"I couldn't imagine Clare engaging in cheerleading and how that would even be possible," she remembers.

Fourteen-year-old Marlo had to move Clare's arms for her in the beginning, but now Clare follows part of the routine by herself.

"She knows what a high-v is, she knows what a low-v is," Karen Mason says. "We do frog jumps across the floor and she knows to ribbit when she's going across the floor, so she's just shown huge improvement."

The team's cartwheels and roundoffs might not look perfect to you. But don't tell that to Chloe.

"I am so good," she says.

"She really is good. She has the most amazing self-esteem that I have ever seen. And that didn't come from me," Laura Thomas. "That came from this group of girls feeding off of each other and blossoming into what they've become."

[krazykat2525]

great story; so glad that people are understanding that disabled or physically/mentally/emotionally/challenged people are people to. So happy that this group takes the time and effort to help these kids socialize. So incredibly important esp in kids

[likeablunchs]

'' ...

which came first eternity or the earth?

easy to see the earth came first

or we wouldn''t be wondering which came first,

except that, even if earth first,
eternity must swell to infinitely beyond and before and after the earth,

and so must have come first anyway,

such that two folk can one say the earth is flat and one can hike to pluto,

while the other says the earth is round, and there is no hiking trail to pluto,

and they each can be absolutely correct, and each absolutely incorrect at the same time,

and each go their seperate ways,

still the earth is both round and flat at the same time, unless one chooses to believe otherwise;

but, then you''d have to be crazy

... ''

'' ... what''s the difference in ruling forever because one wants to, and because one will be damned not to? whatever difference one chooses ... my soul spans forever, and i get a bad dream here or there now or then and chaos seems to rumble round till i calm inside and out and remember it was all my fault and i never truly cut anyone but myself ... i only glance at you cruelly because you are not the one i wish that i could be; though, i''m sure to be again ... ''

[j_flood]

From the age of 6, my daughter was in cheerleading until graduating from High School. I sent this story on to her in the hopes she could find a group near her home or start one herself. Very good story...

Maybe if our your children didn''t have the poison mercury put to them in vaccinations we would not have so many sick children. Big Pharma pushes this in the name of health for their profit.

[wen41]

These are NOT "sick" children. These are children BORN with defects.

[tireslinger]

wen41, after sixteen years working with this segment of the population, I couldn''t agree with you more!! I wish that others would educate themselves, rather than make statements about something, they know nothing about.

[siefisch]

hi! my name is sierra and i am currently cheering at my high school. i was just curious if anyone has started a squad like this in Anchorage, AK, and if not i would like to look into getting one started...any tips?

[siefisch]

hi! my name is sierra and i am currently cheering at my high school. i was just curious if anyone has started a squad like this in Anchorage, AK, and if not i would like to look into getting one started...any tips?

[siefisch]

hi! my name is sierra and i am currently cheering at my high school. i was just curious if anyone has started a squad like this in Anchorage, AK, and if not i would like to look into getting one started...any tips?

[wen41]

Thank you tireslinger. After 19 years of raising such a child, I am pretty knowlegeable on the subject also.