Developing an exercise personal training company for people with autism that is not only appropriate, but beneficial for all participants takes a lot of hard work and consideration. As the rates of obesity in overweightness continue to rise across the country, specifically within the autism population more fitness avenues are becoming available. How do we know which options are appropriate, which options are beneficial and which options are best. Right now the majority of fitness options available to people with autism are sensory gyms, inclusion sports programs, and adaptive physical education programs. All of these options have their pros and cons.
What sets Adaptive Exercise apart from the rest of these exercise options is that the service is designed to meet the physical and cognitive needs of each of its participants and it’s focused on progression. The strategies we use in our personal training provide our clients with additional levels of support so that they can learn and progress to their fitness programs. We use ABA teaching strategies added support’s to provide the most appropriate and Beneficial exercise personal training for people with autism. ABA has been proven to be an effective intervention for people on the autism spectrum, so we borrow many different techniques from this field. Other supports such as visual supports are another way we support our athletes in learning and progressing through their fitness programs. Visual supports can be the personal trainer physically modeling exercises, visual schedules, first then boards, as well as hand, foot, arrow and spot markers. All of these types of visual supports I meant to set clear expectations of what will be performed within the session. Some of these visual supports help athletes learn how to position their body, where to move, what exercise they’re working on or the sequence of events. Modified language is another level of support we provide our athletes at Adaptive Exercise. Modified language consist of utterances made up of 3 to 5 words that clearly convey the exercise expectation, but limit language rich instruction. This level support is particularly effective with children, adolescents and adults who struggle with receptive language. Kinesthetic cues or another adaptive strategy we use to support our clients at Adaptive Exercise. Similar to the ABA strategy of physical prompting, kinesthetic cues can help promote better exercise form and can make learning new exercises more clear.
All of these supportive strategies can be used to increase the clients performance within exercise sessions. Not all of the strategies are appropriate for each client. Because our programming is individualized for each client the personal training sessions may look very different from one another. Autism is a spectrum and within the realm of fitness individuals require different levels of support, learn skills differently, progress at different rates and are motivated by different things. Using one general strategy for all individuals with autism does not seem effective. Catering the teaching strategies and levels of support for each individual so that they can progress through their exercise program it’s far more appropriate.
One of the most popular options that awesome families have been seeking out for leisure and exercise are sensory gyms. These “gyms” are typically filled with swings, pads, along with a wide array of colorful sensory toys and equipment. These types of facilities are great leisure option for people with autism, especially people with autism who has significant sensory needs. These types of settings are not appropriate for all people with autism however. Another problem with these types of facilities is that they are not actually gymnasiums. Using the word gym can be misleading because it provides families with the impression that is center is designed for exercise. While some individuals may be engaging in physical play, others may be relaxing or searching for the sensory feedback they desire. So while this is a great leisure option it is not necessarily eliciting any physical activity or exercise. A child who is sedentary is not likely to suddenly start engaging in rigorous physical activity at a sensory gym.
One of the other more popular fitness options available for people with autism are inclusion sports programs. Inclusion sports programs consist of children and adolescents with autism and other developmental disabilities participating in sports along with their neuro-typical peers. While these inclusion sports programs may be great for some individuals with autism spectrum disorder, they’re not appropriate for everyone with autism. Individuals with more significant fine and gross motor issues may struggle to participate in these types of activities. It can be difficult to provide the appropriate level support for each of these individuals so that they can progress in that activity. There are no systems of ABA teaching strategies in place to teach these skills. Many sports also consist of complex, abstract rules that may be unclear to some individuals on the spectrum. Often times of these rules do not translate outside of that specific sport. Similarly to the rules many of the physical skills we learn sports do not translate into our daily lives. Learning how to kick a soccer ball, or dribble a basketball is great, but neither of these skills have any relevance in regards to activities of daily living.
Adaptive physical education programs should be the most appropriate for people across the autism spectrum. They should use ABA teaching strategies and added supports to help children learn new skills and progress. However, one of the most common adaptations to these programs is their level of expectation for their athletes. Children and teens with fine and gross motor issues should be learning had to improve upon these skills in their physical education programs. Unfortunately the standards are not so that everyone is required to work towards these goals. When children fall behind their peers and other academic areas they receive additional support so they can catch up to their peers. Why is it that in terms of physical education we do not apply the same standards? While adaptive physical education is a relatively new field in regards to people with autism spectrum disorder, other fields of study such as ABA have been proven effective in teaching new skills.