“Hey, Hun, is it cool if we push our moving date to March 1st?”
That was the question I raised to my wife Shani when notified that my presentation had been accepted for the first ever TEDx at Hickam Air Force Base in Hawaii. We were scheduled to move from Queens, NY to Charlotte NC the weekend of the event. Turns out a trip to Hawaii was about the only thing that could postpone our relocation.
The theme for the TEDx event, perhaps ironically, was 20/20 Vision; How to Create a Better Future. Clearly the irony lay in the global pandemic, political, and civil unrest that broadly defined the last year. Still, and arguably highlighted by the COVID-19 pandemic, the issue of fitness and quality of life takes precedence. What can we focus on and strive for with respect to health and well-being? How do we implement real, sustainable change in access to fitness programs for different populations?
My talk, ‘Reinventing the Wheel; Fitness for the ASD Population’ opens with my asking the audience if they think fitness is important (garnering an easy and obvious “yes”). Then, and in relative confidence of knowing the answer, I asked if they thought fitness was important for the autism and special needs population. Not exactly a steep bet.
The thesis of the presentation is that while we, culturally and professionally, pay theoretical respect to fitness and the role it can play for special needs populations, widespread access is limited due to prioritization and qualified programming. If fitness is not only “considered” but practiced as a life skill, the means to access, including funding, training, and long-term support, will become staples in both public and private enterprises.
I close this introduction to my presentation, which I thank you for watching and for sharing, with a story that demonstrates the scope of need. Mae Lynn, one of our Autism Fitness Certified Pros and parent to a young adult with ASD was telling an administrator at her son’s school about our Level 1 Certification.
“We have over 300 Certified Pros worldwide,” Mae Lynn remarked.
“We need 300 in this district alone,” responded the administrator.
The presence of a need is only as powerful as the initiative taken on its behalf. We know strength, stability, and motor planning skills make a significant difference for the ASD/special needs population. Knowing, as the GI Joe PSA mantra goes, is half the battle.
Eric Chessen, M.S., is an Exercise Physiologist with an extensive background in Applied Behavior Analysis. Eric provides on-site and distance consulting worldwide. He is the founder of Autism Fitness®, offering courses, tools, resources and a community network to empower support professionals to deliver adaptive fitness programming to anyone with developmental deficits to create powerful daily living outcomes that last a lifetime.
