Severance Hospital’s Min Yoongi Center, established with BTS member Suga’s 5 billion won ($3.25 million) donation, has launched a basketball-based therapy program for adolescents with autism spectrum disorder, expanding the artist-backed autism care project from music to sports.
The hospital said Thursday that the new program, called MIND-PLAY, was developed after Severance signed a memorandum of understanding on Wednesday with the Korean American Special Education Center (KASEC), a U.S.-based nonprofit that supports Korean Americans with developmental disabilities.
MIND-PLAY is based on KASEC’s Developing Relationships in Inclusive Basketball (DRIB), model. Severance adapted the program for Korea’s clinical and educational environment, using basketball to help participants practice communication, cooperation and rule-following in a structured setting.
The hospital said KASEC recently reported in the international journal Research in Autism that an inclusive basketball program helped improve social skills and support physical and emotional health in people with autism spectrum disorder.
The program adds a sports component to the center’s existing music-based social skills therapy. Suga, whose real name is Min Yoon-gi, has drawn attention not only as a donor but also as a supporter of treatment models that use music and sports to help children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder build social interaction skills.
The basketball theme also reflects Suga’s personal connection to the sport. The BTS rapper-songwriter is known as an avid basketball fan and was named an NBA ambassador in 2023, taking part in league-related activities in the U.S. and Asia.
The pilot MIND-PLAY program began Thursday and will run for 12 weeks through Sept. 17 at the basketball court of Yonsei University’s Sports Science Hall in Seoul. Sessions are held once a week for 90 minutes with support from Yonsei University’s Department of Physical Education and Department of Sport Industry Studies.
During each session, an adolescent participant is paired with a volunteer partner. The partner demonstrates movements, gives verbal encouragement and helps the participant interact with others through basketball activities.
Participants practice basic basketball skills such as dribbling, footwork, ball handling, passing and shooting. Coaches specializing in adapted physical education adjust teaching methods according to each participant’s disability level, characteristics and learning needs.
Severance said the program is designed to help participants build social skills through interaction, physical ability through running and dribbling, cognitive skills through passing and shooting, and emotional satisfaction through learning techniques and making shots.
The hospital added that the program also has an educational effect for volunteers, who can learn how to communicate with adolescents with autism spectrum disorder and improve their understanding of developmental disabilities.
“Beyond music, the Min Yoongi Treatment Center is working to provide personalized treatment for children with autism spectrum disorder through various arts and sports activities,” said Cheon Keun-ah, head of the Min Yoongi Center, director of Severance Children’s Hospital and professor of child and adolescent psychiatry at Severance Hospital. “MIND-PLAY, the center’s basketball-based program, aims to go beyond therapy by improving children’s social skills and athletic abilities, ultimately helping lay the foundation for better quality of life and social independence.”
The center has also continued its music-based program. Late last year, children who received music therapy performed in a “MIND Band” concert, and in March, the center published a manual documenting the treatment process. About 20 children are now practicing for a second year-end performance.
