THEME: EXERCISE September 29-October 10th, 2014

Welcome to Guiding with Synergy and Exercise!

Being a very athletic child, myself, I turned to coaching well into my early 30's. These early experiences gave me an appreciation for the importance of exercise in general while ensuring my intrigue with the impacts of exercise with those on the autism spectrum. When working with children with autism, it seems clear that many are full of energy while also being very strong and agile.

When I was just starting out in the field of autism, in 1985, it was my dream to own a big center with a running track all the way around it with many options for all kinds of exercise. It was obvious to me then and even more obvious now, the importance of exercise in the lives of many people with autism.

Studies indicate the importance of exercise in the reduction of self injurious behaviors, aggression, and improvements of attention in autism. Find an article from Autism Research Institute's Stephen M. Edelson HERE.  Beaverton, Oregon's own, Karla Fischer, also indicates how helpful exercise has been for her.  And under the "anxiety" section of Temple Grandin's Frequently Asked Questions (and answers from her), she lists exercise as key to her lifestyle.

Ryan Lockard of Specialty Athletic Training has been paving the way right here in the Portland Metro area for integrating exercise into the lives of those with autism and other disabilities. He is supporting several students served also by Synergy Autism Center.

Please take the time with this theme (and beyond) to not only integrate exercise in your daily routine with your student, but also to find a way to talk about it with him or her.  Use visuals, books, games, and other materials you know are successful for communicating with your student.

Our goal is to help your student develop an understanding of the importance of exercise for his or her body while pushing to new levels of exertion. 

Not only is the physical exercise important but the concept of challenging oneself slightly beyond where one thought possible.... is priceless and a key learning for life.

Ideas for integrating exercise and social engagement practice:

Start small. Short exercises engaging your student's larger muscles AND celebrating your guide/student relationship will be the most successful initial integration, in many ways.

These first exercises were recommended by Ryan Lockard and integrated by me, into 2 student's daily home instruction routines. Add these in every 20 minutes to an hour.... take a short break right there within your school day to try these full body and socially engaging activities. These both employ the partnership of "same time, same role," which is often challenging for those one the autism spectrum, as it requires coordinating one's movements with someone else's in real time. Keep it slow, deliberate, supported and remember to bring your student to the edge plus just a little more without allowing them to go fully over that edge. However, remember, too, that if you don't occasionally go over that edge, your student is not learning at the rate they probably can with you....because you may be overcompensating....

a.  Squats:  Position chairs facing each other. Hold each others hands or arms. Stand up together at the same time, and sit down again at the same time. This provides both exercise AND practice with social engagement practice of moving in unison with someone else.  Ways to make fun and more understandable:  chant, count, and/or sing in a rhythm that matches your movements.

b.  Step Ups:  Find a step or other sturdy and raised surface. Stand side by side. Ensure touch that is either holding hands or your guiding across shoulders. If your student is sensitive to touch and can hold something between you, that may also support the physical connection between you that is important for visually and physically coordinating movements. Recommendation:  A step that is NOT associated with stairs going up or down to another location is preferable. It can be confusing to someone learning language who is taking information in visually to start to go up stairs and then have to go back down that first stair and repeat. You may be met with frustration which can be eliminated if the step is visually only one that can be stepped up onto then off.

I have searched the internet for videos for these... let's make some and post them here (with permissions!)

Have fun integrating exercise all of you!

Barb Avila
bavilaconsulting@gmail.com