Adaptive exercise is Massachusetts first in home personal training company specializing in working with people on the autism spectrum. Our exercise training is autism therapy that can benefit children’s physical health, mental health, and may help with behavioral challenges as well. According to Autism Speaks, Massachusetts is amongst the best places to live in the United States for people with autism. This great state offers tremendous autism therapy services such as, ABA therapy, physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech language pathology, along with a number of leisure opportunities including inclusion sports programs and sensory gyms. And now thanks to Adaptive Exercise, Massachusetts also has a personal training service specifically designed for people with autism. With this wide range a therapeutic services available to autism families in the area, is no wonder why Massachusetts is amongst the leaders in autism services.
Applied behavioral analysis or ABA is perhaps the most popular and most effective autism therapy currently available. This great therapy to helps teach people with autism new skills, refine skills they are you have and decrease behaviors that are interfering with that individuals potential for success. The philosophies and strategies used by ABA therapist have been proven to be effective, which is why we use many of the strategies and philosophies in our personal training. Strategies like behaviors specific praise, to reinforce athletes with autism when they’re performing exercises appropriately. Shaping exercises that may be incorrect at first, but through this practice can be shaped exercises with proper form. One strategy used by our trainers to decrease undesirable or maladaptive behaviors would be redirection. An example of this would be a child who flops on the floor when asked perform a standing chest press. Our trainer would provide no additional attention to this undesirable behavior and instead intervene by physically prompting the child to perform a lying chest press from the floor. The trainer then could use behavior specific praise to reinforce participation in the lying just press.
Physical therapy is another effective autism therapy, received by many people on the autism spectrum. Physical therapist may work to correct muscle imbalance, postural issues or motor planning. These specialist have a deep knowledge of the human body that goes well beyond the scope of a personal trainer. Weber not all physical therapist are specifically trained to work with people with autism. Especially people on the spectrum will have more severe needs. Our approach to personal training is unique because we use multiple Applied behavioral analysis strategies. These strategies enabler trainers to present things that may seem complex and a more simple manner. The strategy also prepare our trainers to deal with behavioral challenges that might arise.
Occupational therapy is another popular treatment for people with autism spectrum disorder. Occupational therapy is similar to physical therapy but tends to focus more on motor movements used throughout the day. This type of autism therapy can help children inside the classroom and out in the real world. Occupational therapy teaches skills such as handwriting, buttoning a shirt, and other movements focused on activities of daily living. Similar talk facial therapy adaptive exercise teaches children functional movement skills. The focus may be in the realm of fitness, but the exercises are carefully selected to benefit children in their activities of daily living as well. Teaching a child and exercise such as overhead press or shoulder press, can be related to a child reaching up high to get something from the cabinet. Teaching a squat pattern could be related to bending down to tie your shoes. So while we are working to improve the physical health through exercise the benefits are not strictly related to fitness.
Speech language pathology, more commonly referred to as speech therapy is a form of autism therapy that focuses on skills related to oral the musculature, language, articulation and social skills. This type of therapy can be life-changing for an individual with autism spectrum disorder. Adaptive exercise did not directly work on speech and language skills, however some strategies used by speech pathologist are utilizing our training. Not every child has the receptive language skills to be able to follow complex exercise instruction. We use modified or simplified language to make sure that every exercise mandate is clear. Nearly all our verbal instructions can you broken down into 3 to 4 word utterances. A traditional personal trainer may coach their client to correct there form by using their words and telling them what to do with each muscle group. In our training we use other strategies such as visual supports, physical prompting or kinesthetic cueing.
Exercise can also be beneficial teaching certain social skills, especially in the context of an adaptive group exercise class. This creates the natural environment where children can interact, work cooperatively, take turns and build friendships. Many of the same skills that are the focus of social skills groups. While adaptive group exercise is not a social skills group, it is structured for children to be able to interact with one another, and take turns at various exercise based activities.
Adaptive exercise personal training is not meant to replace any of the traditional therapies available to people with autism. But engaging in regular exercise has been shown to offer many of the same benefits as some of these therapies, and additional benefits that many of these other therapies do not specifically target. Physical health impacts her mental health, so it’s important to not only think of the exercise as a tool to lose weight. People are meant to be active and for many on the autism spectrum they may not have the skills or opportunities to be able to do so. Our personal training aims to give these children the skills to improve their physical and mental health through exercise. Skills that will help them the classroom, help them in their activities of daily living, help them become more independent, help them be more confident, and help them achieve their goals. Our hope is that exercise therapy for people with autism will become mainstream therapy that autism families can access.