Huntley to get new special-needs playgrounds

Navigating the social obstacle course that is the grade school playground is difficult enough as it is. For special-needs children, recess is even more of a challenge - and more important to their social growth, experts say.

"All the things that students (gain) through recess tend to do the opposite things for kids with special needs," said Kristin Smith, occupational therapist at Huntley's Leggee Elementary School.

In hopes of creating places where special-needs children can enjoy the benefits of play without the anxiety and dangers of typical playgrounds, educators and parks officials are working to create two playgrounds in Huntley that are specifically designed for children with disabilities.

The Huntley Park District plans to unveil a large, $620,000 playground for special-needs kids in the spring.

The playground, at the south end of Deicke Park, will include accessible swings, stations for wheelchair basketball, a "drama village" where kids can make believe and areas where children can make music.

Huntley Parks Director Paul Ostrander said while many existing parks purport to be accessible, they don't go far enough in making it easy for special-needs children to use equipment and interact with other kids.

"We wanted to do something that really hits a home run," Ostrander said. "We kind of feel that this playground is going to come close to that."

A second playground for special-needs kids may be completed as early as November at Leggee, the home of Huntley Unit District 158's elementary school autism program.

The playground, which will serve the more than 20 kids in the autism program and other students with special needs, will include swings, a track for tricycles and bikes, a sand box, climbing equipment and slides.

Both of the parks will be enclosed by a fence, giving children and their parents a sense of security that traditional playgrounds lack.

Parents of autistic children welcomed the playgrounds, saying they would help their kids develop socially and refocus on their schoolwork.

"For them to concentrate, they need this," said Linda Betzold, mother of an autistic child in District 158. "We couldn't get it too soon."

Lake in the Hills mother Kathleen Trautmann said autistic children like her son can be oversensitive to everyday stimuli like fire alarms and that recess can help them moderate their responses.

"If the fire alarm goes off, it might not bother him as bad. He might be able to handle it," Trautmann said. "The reactions aren't so severe."