Universal Appeal, the Real Deal: Embracing an Interdisciplinary Model for Wellness
Yes, the title is long, but I couldn’t resist. I’m excited because I have been travelling the country performing seminars on fitness and wellness for the autism population. The most promising trend I’ve noticed is that people in attendance are not all parents, or educators, or PT/OT’s, or fitness professionals. Instead, I’ve had the opportunity to speak to each of these groups at once, and, just as importantly, they have had the opportunity to speak with each other. Since fitness and wellness are part of life skills and optimal long term development, it is important that parents, teachers, and other professionals be on board.
I have an issue, more of a professional resentment really, of edibles being used as long-term reinforcers in ABA-based programs. If a child’s token board is all set up for him to earn a lovely helping of cauliflower, I’m thrilled. Most of the time however, edible reinforcers fall into the category of “that which is consumable yet not really food,” including chips, candy, fast food, and other comparable types of slow-acting toxins. In addition to being devoid of nutritional value, these edibles are typically high in calories and sugars. I will leave the remainder of the toxic foods discussion to our resident expert, Julie Matthews. Suffice to suggest that earning a candy bar for performing exercise is somewhat counterproductive. The interdisciplinary model is essential for wellness being approached holistically.
Suppose a fitness professional works with a child on the autism spectrum twice a week. Those two 45 minute sessions can have a great impact, however there are roughly 166 hours left in that week. The other activities and stimuli that a child comes into contact with can greatly enhance or impede their fitness progress. I get giddy when I have a parent who wants to implement an exercise program at home. As a fitness professional, I obviously want to oversee the program and make sure that all movement and ability goals are accounted for. The big secret though, is that the more the individual comes into contact with exercise and movement training, the more beneficial impact I can have as a professional. Many of my athletes exhibit movement deficits. Research has demonstrated that children on the autism spectrum have a higher incidence of gross motor impairments than neurotypical peers. With the added issue of ineffective PE programs and a sedentary lifestyle (T.V, computers, sitting at a desk all day), physical fitness is not typically an area of optimized development within the ASD population. As a result, much of what I do with my athletes would be categorized as “remedial” exercise, focusing on reintegrating proper movement, range of motion, and a very basic level of strength.
If parents, educators, and related service providers are willing to incorporate fitness into daily life, educational, and vocational activities, the role of the fitness specialist does not become obsolete, rather, he/she is able to provide more age-appropriate and complex exercise programming. Additionally, the skills learned in the gym or fitness environment have more opportunities of generalization to novel situations, which is, by the way, the foundation of why we engage in exercise. Sitting for more than about 30 minutes in a classroom is difficult for most children, developmentally disabled or otherwise. It is difficult for adults. It is difficult for me, who in the process of writing this article has stood up no less than ten times to play with my exercise equipment or play with the dog or wander around the house. One of the most beneficial aspects of exercise for special needs populations is that physical activity creates a situation in which the individual is both active and engaged. I have a wonderful speech pathologist who works in on my PE classes because it is an opportune time for eliciting language targets. The students are not only intently focused on the activities, but the physical nature causes a response in both the central nervous system and in many centers of the brain, including those responsible for speech and short-term memory. While I give this example to represent an interdisciplinary model, there is no reason why many different skill acquisition programs cannot be combined with exercise to enhance the quality of experience.
We must erase the backwards idea that some kids are good at physical activities and some kids are good at math. Some kids will always show a greater aptitude in math, and others will be more physical and athletics-oriented. Not everyone can win at everything, nor should they. Of course, this notion of “jock or numbers cruncher” came out of the sports-oriented culture that has dominated PE for decades. Once movement and general physical fitness become the primary focus, it will be far easier to develop a healthier, more active, and more engaged special needs population. Through interdisciplinary programming, and the magic of parents and professionals actually speaking with one another, a holistic approach is not a mirage in the desert of special needs services, but a very real and important construct.
Sharing expertise makes one a better practitioner, and is reciprocal in nature. Professionals who hold children to the same standards, behavioral and otherwise, in conjunction with parents who provide ongoing life skill education in the home setting are very likely to have successful children on their hands. Consistency is a key component of skill development. When goals and the process towards them are shared, success is more likely to follow. Remember, exercise is something we do. Fitness is something we live…
© Eric Chessen
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