Today we’d like to introduce you to David Crowley.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I began working with children with Autism and other special needs when I was a senior in high school (internship). I went to UMass Amherst and received a Bachelor of Science in Communication Disorders. In college, I worked as a Special Education teaching aid and as a Personal Care Assistant. Since graduating I have worked in Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) programs for over 6 years as both a licensed Speech Language Pathologist Assistant and as an ABA counselor.
I have been into health and fitness since my freshman year of college and as I have got older I continue to read and learn more about health and fitness. While working in schools and in client’s homes I became increasingly aware of the rates of obesity and poor dietary habits amongst the Autism population. I stopped taking classes towards achieving a Master’s in Special Education and decided to become a personal trainer. I became a certified personal trainer by the American Council on Exercise last October.
Over the past two years, I have developed exercise programming and strategies (learned from working in ABA programs) for individuals with Autism and other special needs. In June I attended Eric Chessen’s Lvl One Autism Fitness Practitioner seminar in Long Island. The seminar gave me some more ideas and made me more motivated knowing that there were like-minded people who shared my vision to help people with special needs improve their lives. This past July I began offering in-home, one on one and small group personal training for individuals with special needs. I have also recently developed a traveling small group exercise class (8-10 participants) adapted for individuals with special needs.
Has it been a smooth road?
The road has been anything but smooth. When I first began my research into adaptive fitness I had a hard time finding companies that specialized in working with individuals with special needs. I found a few companies scattered across the country, some appeared to offer better services than others. Eric Chessen’s Autism Fitness was one of the most reputable companies I found. I attended the first Autism Fitness Certification program in June and was able to network, learn some new strategies, and obtain a specialty certification as a Lvl 1 Autism Fitness Practioner.
One thing that really motivated me through all my research was learning about all the benefits of exercise for this population. I am well aware of the benefits of exercise, but for people with Autism, there can be additional benefits. Exercise can improve motor planning, motor function, decrease maladaptive behaviors, reduce stereotypic behaviors, reduce the off-task behavior, improve joint attention, improve eye contact and joint attention. The more I learned in my research the more motivated I became to start my own company and to set a higher standard of exercise programming for individuals with special needs.
The biggest struggle in starting my own company was trying to see if I could get insurance companies to pay or reimburse for my services. There is no question that adaptive exercise training is beneficial, but health insurance companies currently do not cover these services.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Adaptive Exercise – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
Adaptive Exercise offers in-home (1 on 1 and small group) personal training services for individuals with autism and other special needs. Using Applied Behavior Analysis teaching strategies, the exercise programming is adapted to meet the needs of each client. The focus of the training is on functional movement (movements we all use in our activities of daily living) such as pushing, pulling, rotational movements, single leg movements, and bending and lifting.
Adaptive Exercise is not a weight loss program, or a get ripped quick program. The focus of the company is to improve the lives of individuals with autism by teaching exercise behavior. One of the main tools Adaptive Exercise uses to accomplish this is a Personalized Exercise Program (PEP). Similar to an Individualized Education Program, used within the school system, a PEP is a collection of benchmark objectives developed to ensure client success. The goals are developed by the trainer after an assessment period using language that is specific and goals that are measurable. This way Adaptive Exercise can deem if a program is working or not working, via data analysis.
Group Functional Movement is an adaptive group exercise class. The class is currently operating in ABA schools and programs. The class is structured similar to traditional fitness classes, but there is a limited number of different exercises. Each exercise is introduced using simple language instruction paired with the trainer modeling each movement. Physical prompting and used throughout the class to improve performance and engage the students in each movement. The Group Functional Movement class is the only class in all my research that uses ABA teaching strategies to engage a group (8-10 students) in exercise. The class in its early stages still, but participants find it engaging and motivating. It is great to see students involved in the exercise, and working together in a group. Students will clap and encourage other students to do the different exercises. I have seen some of the participants even help their fellow classmates out to complete some of the exercises.
All the equipment in both the group class and 1 on 1 sessions is specifically picked with safety in mind. The main pieces of equipment used are sand bells, soft medicine balls, resistance bands, battle ropes, hurdles, exercise steps along with spot markers, hand/feet spot markers and arrow markers.
Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
The greatest thing about the Worcester County area is the amount of ABA service companies. Massachusetts is amongst the leaders in Autism services and there is a real awareness in the area. It can be difficult working within such a large geographic area. Adaptive Exercise is currently operating in ABA programs and in client’s homes. This is mainly because most commercial gyms are not suitable for my training. They can be loud, filled with people, and unsafe.
Pricing:
- 65 dollars per hour long session (monthly packages after trial period)
- 60 dollars per hour long session when purchasing 2 or more weekly sessions (monthly packages after trial period)
Contact Info:
- Website: www.adaptiveexercisenow.com
- Phone: 5087352949
- Email: david@adaptiveexercisenow.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AdaptiveExerciseNow/
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/adaptive-exercise-worcester
Image Credit:
Ian Nolin
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