By personal awareness we mean an understanding of one's own abilities, strengths and weaknesses. Through dialogue, personal awareness can grow. Asking the child questions about "how it feels" or "what they are thinking" will help them and you. The facilitator should be aware that body (kinesthetic) awareness and space awareness (where others are in the context of a game) are somewhat different for someone who is using a sport wheelchair. For example, it is ideal to have the chair always moving in some games so that momentum can be used to make quick movements. This personal awareness leads to greater improvement in other KSAs.
Personal awareness, in the context of someone who is using a sport wheelchair includes:
- Getting a sense of balance points when stationary and when moving
- Understanding how one's body reacts voluntarily and involuntarily when something changes
- Comfort and confidence in performing certain KSAs
Some examples of body awareness that are important are:
- Presence of spasming
- Width of chair
- Ability to reach the ground
- Flexibility
- Balance