With so many options available to autism families these days, parents are put in a unique, but favorable position. The position to have a wide range of different therapeutic and recreational services designed for people with special needs. So parents must ask themselves. Which services should I be looking into for my child? What are the benefits of each of these therapies? And how can I get help to pay for these services? If you are an autism family living in central Massachusetts, Adaptive Exercise offers one autism therapy in Worcester that is much different than the more traditional options families are probably more familiar with. We offer specialized personal training as autism therapy in Worcester. Exercise is commonly thought of as a means to lose weight, but exercise can offer much more than this.
Exercise is perhaps one of the most beneficial skill sets a person can learn. Regular exercise and physical activity can contribute to weight loss, but this is not the only physical health benefit. Exercise can also improve motor planning, increase muscle tone, improve posture, and increase bone mineral density. There are mental benefits that come with exercise as well, such as improved self-esteem, improved sleep, improved focus and emotional regulation. But, for people with autism there are unique benefits. Exercise has been shown to improve social skills, reduce stereotypic repetitive behavior, and reduce maladaptive behaviors. With such a wide range of both physical and mental health benefits, how could our specialized personal training not be considered an autism therapy in Worcester. Parents enroll their children in speech-language pathology and social skills groups to improve their social skills and communication. Exercise is by no means a substitute for traditional speech language pathology, but it can similarly improve their social skills. Physical and occupational therapy are popular therapeutic interventions for children and adults with autism who struggle with low muscle tone and motor planning. Our specialized personal training can help improve muscle tone, and motor planning through exercise. Applied Behavior Analysis is one of the most popular and evidence backed interventions for children with autism. Our exercise autism therapy in Worcester county, can also help reduce maladaptive behaviors and stereotypic behaviors. Exercise should not be replacing these more mainstream forms of therapy, but it offers many of the same benefits as these other options, plus a few that other therapies do not.
What makes Adaptive Exercise different from other fitness options available to the masses? To start our programming is completely individualized for each client we serve. We understand that people with autism present a wide range of both physical and cognitive abilities. So why would we use a one size fits all approach to exercise? Our individualized programming is done through our Personalized Exercise Programs. Beginning with informal assessments and video analysis the personal trainer develops specific and measurable goals for their client, along with targeted functional exercises. Functional exercises are movements that will benefit our clients outside the realm of fitness. Movements that we perform in our everyday lives, such as single leg movements, pushing movements, pulling movements, rotational movements and bending and lifting. Each clients’ performance is tracked by data so that their personal trainer can ensure their success in the program.
Adaptive Exercise offers their autism therapy in Worcester County to families in home. Many of our clients come to us with little to no prior history participating in a structured exercise program. Many of the big box gyms and fitness centers in the area are less than ideal environments for beginner exercisers. For some people with autism this environment would be overwhelming or even unsafe. By providing our autism therapy in Worcester county in home, we can be sure the client is in a safe, familiar space. Adaptive Exercise provides all necessary equipment to hold our sessions, but that doesn’t mean that families who may already have equipment cannot incorporate this into our sessions. The equipment we provide may look a little different from what you might see at your standard gym. Most of the weights we use in our training are sand based, equipment like sand bells, sand bags and medicine balls. These types of weights are more safe than metal weights and reduce the likelihood of injury. They also promote grip strengthening which is highly functional. Other types of equipment commonly used are, steps, cones and hurdles. All the equipment we use is not only safe, but fairly affordable. So families can go out and purchase some of the things we use to work on fitness outside of structured sessions.
Exercise equipment isn’t the only equipment our trainers bring though. Adaptive supports such as hand, foot, arrow and spot markers provide clients with visual supports to help learn exercises. Each trainer is skilled in our multi leveled support system . We use visual, kinesthetic, verbal and physical supports to provide the most appropriate level of instruction for each and every athlete. We discussed a few forms of our visual supports, but trainers can also use video feedback, mirrors, physical modeling and schedules as other forms of visual supports. Kinesthetic supports indicate where to move to or where to move along when performing exercises. These can be provided using objects in the immediate environment, the trainer can use themselves to cue a client where to move to or they can use the exercise equipment. Verbal supports are provided through modified language. Modified language is short utterances that consist of only the most essential language, usually 3-5 words. These instructions are easier to follow for children or adults who struggle with receptive language. Physical supports are the most intrusive form of support. Physical supports require trainers to prompt the client through a movement. This does not mean the trainer is forcing a client through a movement, but supporting them to be able to perform a movement safely and accurately.
There are plenty of options available for the autism families of Worcester County, Massachusetts. But, Adaptive Exercise is the only specialized in-home fitness provider for people with special needs. So if your looking for a therapeutic option that offers a wide range of benefits, reach out to Adaptive Exercise today.