Ten thousand steps and more. Sandra, William, Gauthier and Maxime (the first names have been changed): four of them are doing stretching exercises this Monday, January 15th, to prepare for climbing. This group of young adults living in the medical nursing home (FAM) Le Cottage (Groupe SOS) in Chelles (Seine-et-Marne) and suffering from autism spectrum disorders come every week to climb in the Arkose de Pantin area (Seine ). -Saint Denis).

The session begins with a short warm-up, then everyone goes through it individually. They put on the harness, assisted by Amélie (she did not want to give her last name), psychomotor therapist at FAM Le Cottage, and Richard Ly, climbing instructor and educator. Sandra starts, a big smile on her lips. She climbs and has to catch rings, red, yellow, blue… She screams loudly and seems happy. Then Gauthier and Maxime follow each other, supported by Richard Ly, who shows them where to put their feet, and supported by Amélie, who is also practicing. Williams’ turn is more relaxed, even if he won’t reach the top of the 19 meter high wall. “Climbing stimulates all parts of the body and has Impact on the social level by connecting us with others”, explains the psychomotor therapist. It is also a way to recharge and calm down.

“Climbing works very well for many disabilities, for example visual impairments, but also for disorders such as Down syndrome, autism, hyperactivity, etc. »notes Ghislain Brillet, President of the Union of Climbing Rooms (UDSE). “It is not yet very well developed in the sports and health sector, but it has the advantage of providing a fun and varied activity.”says Matthieu Jung, head of the care center at the Strasbourg Sports Health Center. Together with the “Bloc en stock” space in the Alsatian capital, led by Ghislain Brillet, a project is currently underway to offer climbing to people with various back problems or even overweight children.

A sport adaptable to the pathology

Cyril Lorre, operational and commercial director of the Block’Out group, offers sessions for children born with limb deformities. “They manage to climb and enjoy it, it’s not a handicap for them”, he said. He is himself a former French Paralympic triathlon champion – after a traffic accident he lost the use of one arm – he explains: “Sport saved me. Climbing, which requires concentration, brings peace and serenity to these children sometimes excited. »

You still have 40% of this article left to read. The rest is reserved for subscribers.