Salveson family grateful for Skatepark

A strong form of autism has not stopped local Malta Middle School seventh grader Signee Salveson from hitting up the Malta Skate Park, in fact she has become an inspiration.

"What I have noticed at first about the skatepark was there was a lot of controversy in building it," Sig Salveson said.

Sig and his wife Aimee Salveson have both experienced firsthand, how the Malta Skate Park is a good thing for the community, and they have noticed something different about it after watching other local youth sharing the park with their daughter Signee, who has a severe case of Autism.

"Signee has a way of bringing hearts together," Sig said. "People always walk away thankful. She makes you want to reach out and help somebody."

Signee has been enjoying the Malta Skate Park for the past several months. The park was built by Evergreen Skateparks in 2016 and funded by Pearl Jam's Jeff Ament of Big Sandy and has been enjoyed by local youth from around the area since it's opening in June of that year in the Hillcrest neighborhood of Malta.

"It stimulates her, calms down her anxiety and takes some of her frustration out," Sig said. "It's relaxing and after she is done it helps her to focus."

Sig admits that it is hard to find many activities that Signee enjoys but she enjoys skating on her kick scooter while other locals skate around the park as well as if she is by herself or with her younger brother Lane Salveson, who prefers the Ripstick.

"She is also good at swimming," Sig said. "She is a little more towards the severe end of the autism spectrum."

Aimee Salveson, a local insurance agent explained briefly what autism is and how rolling around the park helps Signee.

"It can be as mild as being diagnosed with ADHD and then it gets more severe as it goes on," Aimee said. "I think she has always been a sensory seeker and proprioceptive input (sensations felt in muscles and joints) is important to help her mind focus so that she has to engage physically at doing something."

Aimee went on to say that being at the park enables her to engage in balancing, muscle movement and gives her the ability to enjoy being outside.

"She has always been good at things that require balance," Aimee said noting that it took Signee a while to learn how to turn indoors.

Though Signee only repeats words that she hears, it wasn't until a few years ago that she started repeating words.

"You just live for it," Sig said. "We were just waiting so long for any kind of word and it was wonderful."

Sig went on to say that there are many times the Malta Skate Park doesn't have parental supervision, but he has noticed something.

"The big kids help the little kids and the little kids enjoy it," Sig said. "They are all working to make each other better, it's not a competition and you don't see that. It's just very unusual to see and it's very warming."

Sig and Aimee are thankful for the skate park and are all in as far as bringing in new activities for the local youth thanks to the impression that the skate park has left on their kids.

"We see the value of having a committee and a parks and recreation department and we are even more supportive now than ever before," Sig said.