Chloe was one of my athletes in a fitness program I ran this past summer. She was eager to participate from the first minute she saw my collection of colorful star markers, big medicine ball, Sandbells, and hurdles. Chloe went so far as to laugh at my lame jokes, invent new animal movements to do after...

Social initiation and interaction are two of the most pervasive and challenging deficits among individuals on the autism spectrum. Through exercise and physical activity, it is possible to shape social skills. Interaction can be taught in several different ways including incidental teaching in the natural...

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...

I have plenty of work to do in order to ensure that every child and young adult on the autism spectrum has access to a well-developed, functional physical education program. I will author many articles beyond this one,  perform plenty of presentations and workshops, meet dedicated parents and progressive...

As an unofficial translator of fitness for the autism population/autism for the fitness population, I have the challenge of developing exercise programs for various environments. With fitness professionals, there is usually an emphasis on 1-to-1 training, wherein the fitness specialist is working with...

When teaching new movement skills and/or exercises to neurotypically developing children, the essential movement patterns can be developed using a variety of games and activities. The skills that were once learned, ingrained, and mastered on the playground are no longer present in the vast majority of...

I’ve had the opportunity to share my work and speak with many parents who have children with autism. From a steady combination of emails and interaction at seminars, I’ve noticed a particular trend that must be addressed in order to develop a greater awareness of fitness and health. The two biggest...

During infancy and childhood, there are several pivotal times for the development of gross motor movements and muscular development. Parents are often concerned if a child does not reach a particular age-related goal (walking, for example) within a narrow time frame. Children will vary in their gross...