S1 Episode 11- Guest Ted Kackowski / Exercise Prescription

Guest Ted Kackowski with Exercise Prescription joined us to talk about the services he provides for Autistic Kiddos and about his Adaptive Pickleball project.

Transcript

SPEAKER_03 0:09

Alright, welcome everyone to another episode of Mom's Rosing the Spectrum. Today we have a wonderful guest. Ted, we're so glad to have you here with us today. Can you start by introducing yourself and telling the listeners what you do and who you work with?

SPEAKER_00 0:27

Yep, so my name's Ted Kikowski. I'm a personal trainer here in the Valley, um, mobile. So we go to all of our clients' homes and or like I don't know, I guess a park or something if you want to. But we and we work with everybody, uh seniors, kids with special needs, stay-at-home moms, you know, whomever. That's awesome. Um, but I would say recently the uh IDD community is you know a a booming population in the Phoenix area and we're ready to help with that population.

SPEAKER_03 1:00

That's awesome. That's great work that you're doing.

SPEAKER_04 1:03

Yeah, definitely need a lot of that following around and so many stories that can be told from even just just that. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 1:12

It you know, I mean when the average American's overweight or obese, you know, it's you know Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 1:19

And i there's just so many either like physical disabilities where they can't get and out or they don't have the ability due to you know their developmental disability to get on a uh bus or a rift to come to a gym or something like that to work out. It's great that you're mobile.

SPEAKER_00 1:37

It's oh yeah, it's definitely super convenient for the clients, and I kind of joke with them. By the time you get in your car and you drive to the gym, you gotta fight traffic. You get you walk from the parking lot into the back of the locker room. Oh, you probably forgot your uh wallet or something. You probably gotta go back to your car. Yeah. You get in, you answer if you're gonna be. In my case, it's mine here. AirPods, if you're funny, you know, that's like a done deal. You're like, I'm not working out now. Um you get into the gym and oh man, there's like five teenagers on the bench press. You're like, Yeah. So and then it's 30 minutes. By the time you get started, we're already done with the workout at your home.

SPEAKER_03 2:15

Yeah, that's very true. Um, there's times where I'll be at the gym and someone's on the machine I want, and I'm just like trying to do other things, and like they're just sitting there on their phone, I'm like, get off of a machine.

SPEAKER_00 2:29

Well, and and with the kids, that's the most important thing because there are and I'm sure we'll talk about there are a lot of gyms in the area that do really well catering to an adaptive community, but you know, it's loud and clanky and you know, a lot of things in the world.

SPEAKER_03 2:46

Yeah, and then the the comfort of their own home or at a park or something like that is more comfortable.

SPEAKER_00 2:53

Some yep, somewhere where they're used to the routine.

SPEAKER_03 2:55

Yeah, exactly. Routine is so key, right? And ch anything changing, anything new is very scary.

SPEAKER_04 3:02

Yeah, you kind of can't tell everyone in the gym to be quiet.

SPEAKER_03 3:06

Yeah, no, no, no. All right, well, we'll dive in and start asking you some questions and get to know you better. Yeah. All right.

SPEAKER_04 3:16

So what inspired you to start working with individuals with uh disabilities and special needs?

SPEAKER_00 3:22

Well, that that's a good question, and I'll start off with um a lot of my clients notice I'm brutally honest, and I would say the inspiration came from me needing to pick up some clients and and I had the opportunity to do so. And it was specifically from a lady, she'd be a great um guest? Guest too, because she's she's a lawyer who helps with families.

SPEAKER_03 3:44

Yes, yeah, yeah, it's on our list of things that we want.

SPEAKER_00 3:48

So right now they're really busy because tax season. Oh yeah, yes.

SPEAKER_03 3:52

Oh yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 3:53

It was her nephews, it was about three years ago, give or take. Um, and it's you just so more about my background, I used to work in a hospital with cardiac rehab, pulmonary rehab. So you have to be compassionate, yeah, empathetic, understanding, and to an extent it is adaptive, you know, exercise with that type of population as well. So it is uh the dots were really kind of aligned and the fit really made sense and it's really taken off from there.

SPEAKER_03 4:23

Wow. Hey, you recognized that there was a need and you went for it. So that's awesome because some people are afraid of it, you know, of stepping into that world. So thank you, because not everyone's willing to do that.

SPEAKER_04 4:36

Yeah, it's like taking a skill and elevating it to a next level.

SPEAKER_00 4:40

Right. Well, I appreciate you guys saying that because I to be honest, I think it's a lot easier.

SPEAKER_01 4:47

I can I can smaller.

SPEAKER_00 4:50

And they for the most part they want to do it. Yeah, right.

SPEAKER_03 4:53

I was gonna say when they're older population, um, they're a little more stubborn. Yeah it's not something one to do, their bodies ate, they're like, I don't want to do this, but for kids, they're still got that young energy, huh?

SPEAKER_00 5:07

For for the most part, yeah. I do not have to, yeah. One of the kids I see this a funny joke, he we get to talking and he finds out that he because he's like, oh, my mom makes me do this. And I'm like, well, technically the the government's what pays me with the ESA funds. And he goes, uh, so the government pays you to torture kids.

SPEAKER_01 5:29

That's such an autistic thing. Yeah, when you put in like that, like it's fun, it's good, it's healthy, it's a good thing.

SPEAKER_04 5:42

It's gonna pay off in the long run.

SPEAKER_00 5:44

Yeah, so so what like what you said, it was jumping in was a bit of a transition. I did a lot of research, I did a lot of learning. Um, there's a lot of good resources out there for parents, so that's the good thing. Yeah, finding it can be a challenge.

SPEAKER_05 5:58

Very much so.

SPEAKER_00 5:59

Um, but like I said, the the transition was easier than I thought just because it like if you're a trainer and you're doing the same exact workout with all of your clients, then you're probably not you know that good of a trainer, even if you're just at a gym working with athletes.

SPEAKER_03 6:13

Right. Because everybody's different, right? Yeah, and everyone likes certain things or they might have certain limitations.

SPEAKER_00 6:18

Or maybe they like slept wrong and their neck is a little sore, something like you gotta adjust you know.

SPEAKER_03 6:24

Yeah, yeah, go with another it's not black or white. That's for sure. All right, so for parents listening who might not know where to start, what is the biggest benefits of exercise for children with disabilities?

SPEAKER_00 6:39

Um, so the benefits that then that's like the best part is the benefits are the exact same as everyone else. Yeah. So it's like that talking to parents, it's like I'm you know, I'm it I didn't have to learn anything on that. It's it's the same exact stuff. They're everything that you've heard, it's you know, they're gonna improve their their cardiovascular, like the lungs, the heart, their muscles, the hypermobility can be an issue with some of these kids. So getting those joints you know solidified can really help.

SPEAKER_05 7:10

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 7:11

Um and then it probably I was saying it probably helps with their learning abilities as well, right? Intellectually.

SPEAKER_00 7:21

Yeah, I was yeah, I was gonna start to talk about that because yeah, you love fine and motor, and yeah, so it's like you know, being able to write fine motor skills, gross motor skill, being able to do like a squat, being able to just move. Um and kind of with that, the muscle coordination aspect has to do with that brain body movement. So, like with coordination, a really good way to think about it is like if I'm doing tug of war with kids, their brain has to think about like how many muscles do I have to recruit in order to move this object. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So I'm kind of giving them different resistances while we're playing, so that way they've got to like, you know, they're not thinking about it, but their brain is like processing this information.

SPEAKER_03 8:07

Do you want to come up to Whitman? I'm just like, yeah, I'm like ESC funding, yeah. We've got that. Okay, so we might have to talk a little bit because my he's starting to figure things out, and I think he's at that point, I think, where he could definitely benefit.

SPEAKER_00 8:23

Oh yeah, and and it's and it's that kind of stuff where it's like it seems like it's just games, but when you structure it, like from a professional, yeah, um, you know, it it we it's very beneficial.

SPEAKER_03 8:35

It's a game for them.

SPEAKER_00 8:36

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 8:36

And they don't know that what their body's actually learning. Yeah. But it's just fun. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 8:41

Yes, and and so with that that brain, it's it's also there's if you kind of just like Google like brain scan with exercise, there's like one study from like the 90s, it's like I'm surprised there's not a newer one done. But there's a picture of a brain, and it's like this is your brain at rest, and it's like all blue, like the like there's no neural activity. And it's after just walking, the brain scans like all orange, all yellow, all green. So there's a lot of activity going on in the brain when you're working out.

SPEAKER_05 9:13

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 9:14

And those neurotransmitters, like endorphins, like everyone's like, oh, I'm gonna get that runner's high, get that. Yeah, get yeah. Like that stuff, that's like that's what is important for the neurodivergent population is the neurons. Like we gotta get them. The firing, yeah, exactly. And that's what exercise does. It it promotes all of that. It releases, I got I had to write it down here. One of them, brain-derived, brain-derived neurotropic factor. Like, I'm sorry, I'm not, you know, I went to school for this, I have a master's degree. I'm not gonna remember.

SPEAKER_03 9:52

Hey, I'm gonna look out. I love hearing about all these cool things.

SPEAKER_00 9:55

Yeah, it does, it promotes the survival, growth, and maintenance of neurons, strengthens your ability to learn and retain memory. Oh, that's so if I could package some of these benefits up in a pill and like sell it to you, I'd be a trillionaire. Yeah, but you can't. I just so like when people are talking about benefits, they're like, Oh, it improves cognitive ability. I read over that, like, all right, cool. Everything that people claim everything improves cognitive ability, but when you actually like can sit down and explain like why, how does it improve the brain?

SPEAKER_03 10:28

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 10:29

You know, the exercise it can flood the brain with all of this information and uh stimulus and stress that over a long period of time strengthens everything.

SPEAKER_03 10:44

And a lot of um autistic individuals stim because they're seeking that sensory, and you know, I just think about my son and how he runs and he crashes onto things and you know, and getting this exercise is a great way to get that that stimulation and getting that what they were seeking out, you know.

SPEAKER_00 11:06

To experience it and then knowing that increase of heart rate, get getting that feeling, understanding the muscle fatigue feeling is all important. I didn't even think about that. Um it helps with their expression. So, like when I'm lifting with these kids, and I I know it's too hard, I can see them struggling, but I want them to tell me, hey, I think this is too heavy for me. And you know, I'm not gonna hurt them, but right, right.

SPEAKER_03 11:36

They need to understand that they, you know, that's weight resistance, yeah, but it's too much for them.

SPEAKER_00 11:42

Or if it's too easy, you know, they're like, yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 11:46

Because like that's like what we do when we go to the gym, right? We're testing out the weights and going, oh, yeah, no, I need to they need to learn that. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 11:55

And then kind of what we are hopeful in some of the research that you read is that can correlate to like, well, my stomach hurts, like, or my head hurts.

SPEAKER_03 12:03

So then they can just my son he can't tell me.

SPEAKER_00 12:06

Yeah.

unknown 12:07

Wow.

SPEAKER_00 12:07

So but developing this will open up.

SPEAKER_03 12:10

I know.

SPEAKER_01 12:11

Oh my god, my own.

SPEAKER_00 12:12

So developing those, you know, getting getting those endorphins going regularly, so then all so then they your brain is flooded with all this information, and when you do it regularly, then it's always, you know, you're always getting endorphins, you're always getting that, you know, positive reinforcement. Wow. And it, you know, and and like those and so from like a you know, apparently healthy population, those neurotransmitters can help with like depression or anxiety or something like that. So that's why they say, you know, if you're depressed, go for a walk out in the sun. Yeah. You know?

SPEAKER_03 12:50

Yeah. Wow. Um, I just thought of something. So you mainly work with kids um because of ESA funding. I wonder, like, do you dip into like DDD at all for like adults?

SPEAKER_00 13:06

Um would that be like insurance-based? Not yet. Yeah, that so for just like personal training, if I was maybe a physical therapist. Okay, then visual therapist, okay. Yeah, that would be an option. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 13:19

Um, but yeah, with just the exercise, it's still but that's still that's still, I mean, remarkable because the kids are needed, you know.

SPEAKER_04 13:28

Yeah, and just like a small like online certification for something would maybe open up that yeah, who knows?

SPEAKER_03 13:37

You're just gonna I can tell right now you're gonna just gonna grow and grow and you know, the the doors are gonna be so you know, wide open for you and you never know what the future is gonna hold for you.

SPEAKER_00 13:48

I mean, if you asked me three years ago if I was gonna be working with, you know, kids with special needs, I probably would have said no. Because like I said, I was my background's cardiac pulmonary rehab, diabetes, you know, stroke patients, you know, that kind of stuff.

SPEAKER_04 14:02

So does it like matter whether um they're like in a wheelchair or like have certain dis or just anyone everyone?

SPEAKER_00 14:13

No, no, so my degree is in clinical exercise physiology, and there's a lot of them around, like ASU has a pretty good clinical exercise phys program. Um and they're most of them are designed to go cardiac pulmonary rehab, but like a lot of them cover cancer rehab now or something along the lines of that. So once you understand certain chronic diseases, you can usually apply it to a lot of other ones. And if not, you just do a little bit of research or you go back from your notes or something. You know, there's there's a lot of textbooks. There's if there's one thing that's not lacking in exercise, it's research. Oh, for sure.

SPEAKER_01 14:53

For sure.

SPEAKER_00 14:55

You just gotta make sure if that article is like, oh, there's 20 people from, you know, I don't know, Thailand. Yeah, you gotta make sure the sources are right. Yeah, yeah. You know, most appropriate to follow.

SPEAKER_04 15:09

Right. So when it comes to like individuals on the spectrum, is there like certain like movements or how would you say it, uh like activities that tend to work better for them specifically?

SPEAKER_00 15:27

Um Like you mentioned the tug of war, but there's other things you do? Uh yes, so I would say I do everything that I do with all my other clients. Like you can you can do traditional strength training with like dumbbells and machines. Um a lot of my clients have either bike like r recumbent bike or a treadmill in their house. So so like one of the boys I started seeing, he was doing a lot of skipping and you know, that kind not running, it was you know, galloping kind of. And and and so and and it I've been seeing him for a few years now, and he not super smoothly, but goes up to a job, comes back down to a walk, goes up to a job.

SPEAKER_05 16:07

Oh wow.

SPEAKER_00 16:08

So so we I mean we do everything. It depends on the kid and what yeah, it depends on the kid. Yeah. So like so with a younger kid, yeah, you're gonna be doing like you know, having him jump through an agility ladder and stuff like that, or um, there's like different lights that you can help with, like reflexes or hand-eye coordination.

SPEAKER_03 16:26

Yes, yes, yes.

SPEAKER_00 16:28

Um there's like colored hand prints and feet print that you can put on the ground to help them with certain movements and like a scooter. You know, like I had one one kid who's you roll around on a scooter and you have them collect, they have like weighted, soft, plushy balls that he can pick up and like toss or do an exercise with and then he scoots over to the uh other one and does another exercise that way.

SPEAKER_04 16:55

So it's that's so cool. It's uh you know it's just like the spectrum. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 17:01

You make it work, especially in the home, you make it work. Like sometimes I'm in the garage, sometimes we're in the backyard. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 17:08

Helping helping them like the playground how to utilize, like, you know, oh yeah. I mean you know, make it cities. I'm just thinking of like certain things like Jackson doesn't know how to do yet.

SPEAKER_00 17:21

It's a little expensive, I think, but one of the parents wanted me to help their kid ride the bike a little bit. Yeah. So, you know.

SPEAKER_03 17:28

That's like something, yeah, like my Jackson does no like hand-eye coordination, so I'm just like, OT will do some things, but it's like he really needs to learn those kind of things, and it's like we try sometimes. I feel like when it's mom and dad, it's like, eh, get out of here.

SPEAKER_00 17:46

You know, do you feel like you notice that too? Oh my gosh, I learned I know that with my two-year-old. She goes to school and she's eating all these foods and she takes a nap on time, and I'm like, we can't get her to brush her teeth. No, no. She slammed, she slammed her head on the corner of the sink the other day. I felt so bad for her. And I'm like, girl, they were just trying to get away.

SPEAKER_03 18:09

Yeah, like we're saying now, like it's amazing what the kids will do for others other than the parents.

SPEAKER_00 18:18

Um, like I said, I'm I'm learning as crazy.

SPEAKER_03 18:21

You're learning as being a dad and working with kids. We're learning that, huh? Yeah. It's crazy. Um, all right. Let's see. All this stuff. Yeah. What about this one? Oh, yeah, that's a good one. All right. So, um, what are some common misconceptions that families have about adaptive exercise?

SPEAKER_00 18:50

That's a good one.

SPEAKER_03 18:51

Um, do they I bet some people probably think it's like, oh no, I'm not gonna do that. It's forceful. Or kind of like, do you hear that kind of stuff going on? They can't do that, so yeah.

SPEAKER_00 19:06

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 19:07

Um or oh my kid, oh can't, there's no way my cat kid can do that.

SPEAKER_00 19:11

Yeah, there's there's some parents who can be, you know, overprotective, I guess, for a lack of a good way to say, which I mean, you know, what parent wouldn't be, you know, I'm understanding of that. Yeah. Um and because yeah, especially being in the gym, they're noisy, the weights can be heavy. Um, you know, like for some of the kids, that's what we work on in the home is the safety. Like they can't just drop the weight. Like even a five-pound weight being dropped is gonna could break the toe. So, yeah. So not not serious. So they gotta work on safety and all that stuff. So um, and like with any training, uh, injuries happen. So if you have any sort of bad experience, I think the nervousness and hesitation is always gonna be there no matter what, if it's an adaptive exercise or adaptive schooling or whatever, right? You know, a bad experience will definitely inhibit a lot of that.

SPEAKER_03 20:06

Any human will like that, right? Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 20:09

Um and then the other, just from talking to some other vendors, it's um just because it's adaptive doesn't mean it's more difficult. Um so charging more for you know, ESA or like we uh our my snowbird clients pay the exact same as the ESA clients, and and like what I tell them as like clients.

SPEAKER_01 20:32

But those are not arrow, some of those are the people that come out here in the winter, pick to get up the state, and they they they fill up our suite to pull out before 120 degrees. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 20:44

So call me in July, I have a open availability.

SPEAKER_03 20:46

Yeah, because people are all gone. And the kids are out for summer. That kind of helps you all up.

SPEAKER_00 20:54

Yeah, no, it it could it could work out there, but um I lost my train of thought there. But but we we charge the same for for our services. We're not like like if anything, it's like I said, it's easier because I can talk Pokemon and Google Movements and they take some sensory breaks sometimes, so we just kind of chill for a few minutes, and I was like, man, I'd like to chill with some of my other clients for a few minutes.

SPEAKER_01 21:17

Yeah, you're like, I don't get to do that.

SPEAKER_04 21:20

In a way, you're working on boundaries if you think about it. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 21:24

But there there's a lot of uh um social responsibility with working out. I guess that's a good way to say it. And that's the kids have to learn all that too.

SPEAKER_05 21:35

Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_00 21:36

It's needed. Yeah, yeah. Um, so yeah, so and then so I guess kind of going getting back there with any hesitations or perceptions or anything. Um the other thing would be there's not in any bad way, but a lot of times there's slot programming for families, specifically the special needs. You know, there's you know, there's good and bad everything. But you know, you don't want to take your kid to a gym and it's just like open play and it's chaos, and then they sort of they're stuck having to watch them anyways. Yeah. But it's just like okay. There's no respite in that. Right.

SPEAKER_05 22:13

Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 22:15

So I think those are maybe, at least from my experience so far, those are hesitations, and and that's like, I mean, that's really what we're trying to, you know, we're trying to do that.

SPEAKER_03 22:24

It's just for the parents to, you know, educate and be open and listen to, you know, the process and how it goes, huh? So Ted, you have brought us some uh pickleball equipment. Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 22:37

Yeah. Of course. So you've on the adaptive pickleball lessons. Can you explain what adaptive pickleball is and how it works?

SPEAKER_00 22:47

Yeah, so we're we're kind of starting it here in the valley, myself and an occupational therapist. Her name's Liz Hammond. Um, and yeah, there's a few other groups around the country that do similar. So we're gonna try to call our group pickle pals.

SPEAKER_05 23:02

Oh, that's yeah, I like it. I like it.

SPEAKER_00 23:06

Little pickle plushies, you know, it's gonna be it's gonna be awesome. It's it's and I will admit it's very similar to acing autism, if you guys have heard about that. That's tennis lessons for kids with autism. Oh, okay. It's designed to be, we're still working on solid volunteer bases, but it's gonna be designed to be either a very small group or one-on-one trained volunteers in skills and drills and games that are all age and ability appropriate. So either half hour or an hour session, sometimes the little ones, half hours good, and then they're kind of off, you know, doing whatever. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 23:47

You know, you know how it is. We're like, yeah, my daughter's too, I'm figuring that out.

SPEAKER_00 23:52

I wish I could get half an hour out of her. We all be home for half an hour and she'll play with all our toys. Then half an hour.

SPEAKER_01 23:58

Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's like it's been five minutes. Okay, oh yeah.

SPEAKER_00 24:06

Yeah, so the drills, and we're really opening up to everyone. All all special needs, IDD, you know, whatever you wanna um so not super um not we're not really like comfortable with the physical disability, that's like the wheelchair.

SPEAKER_05 24:21

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 24:21

Um but a lot of times these indoor pickleball places have a few like adaptive equipment for that, so that's still available if you need it.

SPEAKER_03 24:30

Yeah. Um that's more for like the intellectual detail based.

SPEAKER_00 24:34

They are, yeah, that's what that's our focus more so. And the drills go from as simple as like rolling the ball back and forth and we provide um balloons are a little too slow, but beach balls work pretty well too.

SPEAKER_03 24:49

Just understanding.

SPEAKER_00 24:51

Yeah, because the pickleball can be fast and it's hard, you know, it's it's it's like a wiffle ball, so it's you know.

SPEAKER_03 24:56

And it's uh because I know like where my son's at, like, you know, when we found those questionnaires, like uh he has a hard time already catching just a beach ball, so yeah, he can't really catch that. So I get it.

SPEAKER_00 25:08

Yep, so bring those help. Um and they can do a board bounce where they're bouncing the ball on the paddle. Um, and then we do that with them walking or something to add a little challenge. And then eventually they kind of work up to actually playing a little bit, hitting it back and forth. If they want, you know.

SPEAKER_03 25:26

Yeah, yeah. And each kid is so different right from where they're at.

SPEAKER_00 25:30

Yeah, yeah. And and just depending on the group, sometimes the games can be like them actually hitting it back and forth, or it could be as simple as like duck duck goose. They can sit on the paddles and we can play duck duck goose or light green light or something. So try them to the colour.

SPEAKER_05 25:46

I think they're gonna be one of those games.

SPEAKER_00 25:52

So we really want to keep it a little bit open depending on what group we have. Right. You never know, right?

SPEAKER_03 25:59

Every group of individuals is gonna be different, and yeah, some uh half of the group could be at one level and the others can be in different levels, right?

SPEAKER_00 26:08

Yeah. And then I guess the the vision is to have eventually, we're just kind of doing one-off events right now, but eventually to have uh week-long lessons where it would be like four to six, maybe even ten weeks, depending on what who uh if the families are interested and the facility is interested, like whatever. Like every Friday, every Saturday morning from ten to eleven, you know, for six weeks. And we're and we host them different areas throughout the valley, and you know, yeah, and that'd be cool, like a good summer program for kids, especially with these indoor pickleball places, because you know, the Arizona, I can't do anything outside of the summer, so a lot of these indoor ones. And they want the business, so it brings, you know, and trust me, these places, the food they have is I hate to say it, cheese pizza, cookies.

SPEAKER_03 27:00

Except for my good old place, which just will lead us into it, is uh my my favorite place is chicken and pickle. Their food is outrageously good, right?

SPEAKER_00 27:12

So yeah, I did. I finally had it last week.

SPEAKER_03 27:15

Did you know they're and so I'm like, that's one thing I love about that place is that great food, great atmosphere, they have other games um besides pickleball, but the food is great.

SPEAKER_00 27:24

Yeah, well, and and that's why. So speaking of chicken and pickle, that's that's why I love their facilities because they do have some of the other games. So, like, if your kid's tired of pickleball, like go do the cornhole, come back and work. Yeah, yeah. So, so with that said, we're our next event over at Chicken and Pickle is Bum Ba Bum, March 31st. Yay! So it's a great it's gonna be a lot of fun. We have from six to eight blocks, so it's gonna be one hour time frame, so you can sign up for like six to seven or seven. And like I like we kind of said before, if it if your kid lasts half an hour, like like that's perfect.

SPEAKER_03 28:02

Well, I'll be bringing my kiddo, for sure.

SPEAKER_00 28:05

Well, I appreciate that.

SPEAKER_03 28:05

Yeah, because he he knows that place so well because we've done a lot of events there. Um, and they do um inclusive like family nights and stuff, but Jax has never really been able to participate because he's not even at that level or where he can even grasp that concept. So when you we met you, I was just like, wow, that's so great because that's what he needs, you know, and so oh I'm so excited. Yeah. So hopefully you can come too. Oh no, yeah. Yeah, Yankee will be there. Yeah, the first one.

SPEAKER_00 28:34

Oh, it's it's good. So we've we've recently been down to Tyler's place in Chandler. Oh yeah, and and their families and staff loved it.

SPEAKER_03 28:43

So it's really like it's I You're seeing you're seeing the the uh the good that it's doing.

SPEAKER_00 28:50

Yeah, the comments on like the social media posts afterwards of the parents saying, like, oh our kid loved it, like the their marketing coordinator emailed me immediately after and was like, When can we get you out again? So it's it's it's a it's a new sport, it's it's totally easy. Everyone's loving pick a ball uh pick a ball, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 29:08

It came out of nowhere.

SPEAKER_00 29:09

Yeah, and the kids love it too.

SPEAKER_03 29:11

I mean it's a little bit easier than tennis. That's why I feel like I played tennis. Yeah, I'm like I feel like ping pong, it's like ping pong and tennis.

SPEAKER_00 29:18

Yeah, it's it's kind of yeah, it's kind of giant ping pong in a way.

SPEAKER_03 29:21

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 29:22

I can't play. Yeah. I think you can play tennis.

SPEAKER_03 29:27

It's a little different. Um, yeah, go ahead. Here, you want to ask? I'll ask this one because it's on my mind. Um, so speaking of that, like uh you've doing some p the pickleball already. Have you seen progress? Like if you've done um have you worked with more the kids more than once and you've seen some progress?

SPEAKER_00 29:48

Yeah, so the one group I've been able to really we've been doing it almost every Friday with a few other students. It's they're called uh Copper Sky Academy out in Scottsdale. Oh nice, okay. And and no joke, the kids so with the serve, with pickleball serve, you have to serve it underhand. Right. But you don't necessarily have to like drop the ball and then serve. Sometimes you like it doesn't have to hit the ground, I should say.

SPEAKER_03 30:10

Oh right, yeah. You can it can hit the paddle and serve it, right? Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 30:13

So but I teach the kids because it's a two-step process that makes them think. So they have to, you know, bounce the bar on the ground and then serve it. Yeah. And that's a big struggle. And I I wish I could just show a video to everyone, but they like hit it accurately across, you know, it took like three or four months, but they accurately across over to the right side because you have to serve like the opposite side. So it's yeah, that's so and they were able to return it a little bit. It's it's not uh sometimes they let it bounce two or three times before they hit it, but who cares? Yeah, they're going after the ball instead of running away from the ball.

SPEAKER_03 30:51

Exactly, that's progress. Yeah, yeah. And it's I mean, for a population, you know, with uh autism and other um developmental disabilities, it takes a lot longer for them to learn certain things. So, you know, it's patience. So you gotta have patience to do what you do, right?

SPEAKER_00 31:09

Well, trust me, like I said, being in cardiac and pulmonary rehab, it's you know, patience is a virtue.

SPEAKER_04 31:15

That's very true. Yeah. I'm sure it's a lot easier to get like pickleball stuff than it is to get gym equipment. Yeah. That way you can like the transition at home would be a lot easier. Yeah. You don't have to keep going somewhere to Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 31:30

They can unlike what what you teach um the kids and like the parents, they could probably, you know, grab I mean, five below Walmart, they all have that and they can just practice that at home too.

SPEAKER_00 31:42

Oh yeah, those those are target paddles. Yeah, yeah. Yeah. Um they and then that's what I was I guess kind of another good thing about what we're doing with the pickleball is we create a schedule, like a checklist so the kid can kinda get their schedule, they got their checklist, they can go through their drills and then they can take it home and practice if the parents want to do it, or if the parents want to go back to chicken and pickle and you know, and then on their own and practice and trust me, the driveware's a great spot too.

SPEAKER_03 32:12

Yeah, oh yeah, yeah. There's so many different pickleball uh facilities all over the valley now. It's amazing. Yeah, and they're all um I like that chicken pickle has some outdoors, um, you know, wish they had a little bit more indoor, but um sometimes of the year it's still really nice and they have good westers. But yeah, a lot of the places are all indoors.

SPEAKER_00 32:31

Yeah, which and and that's diff that can be difficult because sound in the head. And not only the sound, but getting to your court can be a little hard too. Because it's like you're walking along the the fence line of all the other courts and everyone's playing around you. So if like they want to go grab the ball, it's like, you know, disrupting another team's gonna be a little bit. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 32:53

So do you have kids um when they're playing where um yeah, okay. Because my my son is very noise sensitive, the ball the commotion going on. All right.

SPEAKER_00 33:03

Yeah, so you're familiar with that and or if they have to have their tablet with them, like they can't get up, they can carry that with them, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 33:10

Yeah, do you have some that use the like the AAC device to communicate? Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 33:15

Wow. Well, not no not any of my one-on-one clients, but some of the kids who have done pickleball, yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 33:22

That's amazing. Um you know that they can still communicate and do these things. It doesn't stop them, right?

SPEAKER_04 33:29

Like do one and the same at the same time if I needed. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 33:32

It only takes one hand to swing the paddle, so that's true.

SPEAKER_03 33:36

And most of the times those things have like a a strap, or you know, there's usually someone there that can hold it for them while they you know. Yeah, that's really cool. Um, let's see. Gosh, we've gone through most of this already. Uh oh. Oh yeah, so yeah, you mentioned um you have uh uh volunteers that you that work with you.

SPEAKER_04 34:05

Yeah, uh what role do the volunteers play in your programs?

SPEAKER_00 34:09

They're they're there with one-on-one with the with the kids or adults, I mean, if there's a 19-year-old there too, yeah, whatever. Yeah, they're they're there with the participants. So so if when we when we get it to be like a six-week lesson, ideally that volunteers with that participant. So it's like a familiar person.

SPEAKER_04 34:29

Ah, good, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 34:32

And so that way they can like that way that that's the best way for them to get a benefit, the participant, to get a benefit from it. Yeah. Is to, you know, that way they know what their ability level is to an extent, you know, they get used to them.

SPEAKER_03 34:45

And are you are you are you training each volunteer individually?

SPEAKER_00 34:49

Not individually. We'll probably just create yeah, we'll probably create a series of videos eventually. Because what we're trying to do is I have a few initial discussions where we're trying to get some of the OT students from like the colleges or something. Yeah, that was so perfect. They can get their works done. They can get their feet. But you know, that would be a little bit, I think, not finicky, but like the college kids, they need the hours. They really need the hours, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 35:16

And then when you're high school, you know, you're not quite fully developed in understanding of um well maybe you forgot a homework assignment or something like in college.

SPEAKER_00 35:25

I feel like you're a little bit more in tune with your exactly, especially if you're an OT student. That's like they probably want to work with that population to an extent.

SPEAKER_03 35:32

Yeah, exactly. Yeah. Well, if you're never like needing volunteers, let us know.

SPEAKER_00 35:38

And you know, between the two of us, we could always reach out to people that we know and well, I I was gonna say I may need that for the 31st, just depending on how many people show up. But like for a fact, I know we have five volunteers, so if we limit the group to ten each hour, it's still at least a two to one ratio, which is really good.

SPEAKER_03 35:56

That's really good. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Cool. Okay, well yeah, let us know. Yeah. And anyone listening, because this will air before then if you're interested in volunteering. Um you know what? Um, in my packaging community, I know of an o uh occupational therapist um that worked with my son when he was two, so I'll see if she's interested at all. Her son um has got special needs as well, so she'd be a good fit. I'll see if she's interested.

SPEAKER_00 36:23

And and that's the thing too, if if there are kids with the parents, like we need people to shag balls too.

SPEAKER_03 36:29

Oh yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 36:30

You know.

SPEAKER_03 36:30

Yeah, my you know what, like uh because you know, I'm sure my husband will come with and like I can be there and my husband will be there and we can help volunteer. You know what I mean? So we can help you out too.

SPEAKER_00 36:42

Yeah, and and kind of like what I was explaining before, the drills, you don't I'm not a pickleball pro. I I play casually with friends and family, you know. You it's you just have to have a passion for it. We'll we'll provide like the drills that we're doing and you know, give a little instruction beforehand about and the biggest thing, at least from like my point of view or a student's point of view, is getting used to working with that population. But a lot of your contacts would already get used to that. So I'm not even like that's not the biggest concern.

SPEAKER_03 37:13

Yeah, it's just learning how to uh teach them the the skills on how like okay.

SPEAKER_00 37:20

Just getting the schedule down, yeah, and figuring out how to incorporate pickleball into that. Yeah. Oh yeah.

SPEAKER_04 37:26

Yeah. I wonder if even BTs might be.

SPEAKER_03 37:29

Yeah, even behavior behavioral technicians.

SPEAKER_00 37:31

Yeah, no, so that's yeah.

SPEAKER_03 37:33

So people that are going to get their B C B A R R B T C.

SPEAKER_00 37:36

And that's where if and when, you know, we get a bigger group that's regularly going, maybe we can have one behavior therapist there.

SPEAKER_04 37:45

Yeah, just to kind of help oversee and yeah. Yeah, so it's yeah.

SPEAKER_03 37:51

I can see it now. I know. I just I'm over here like, wow, I can just I see your vision and I love it. And you know, I feel like it's it's gonna get I I appreciate that.

SPEAKER_00 38:02

It's it's it's already kind of been done before, so I'm copying and pasting a little bit, but you're making it your own, and you know, um, like you said, pickleball is like the new thing, and it's a little bit easier, and it is, it's and then there's so many courts around the valley, so the opportunities are just opening. Yeah, you're not you're not gonna have to drive 45 minutes to play pickleball with a kid.

SPEAKER_04 38:27

Yeah, and everything tends to be on the the east side.

SPEAKER_03 38:31

Yeah, but there's some there's quite a few. I mean, we have the uh chicken pickle at Westgate, but there's some at like there's actually one right by my son's ABA center.

SPEAKER_05 38:40

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 38:40

Um, so you know, and that's a good thing that maybe you could advertise too is um, you know, ABA centers, things like that. So that's yeah.

SPEAKER_00 38:50

Like well, kinda uh more more in the Gilbert, you know, Mesa East Park kind of area, but yeah, uh the ABA it's it some of the larger companies kind of have their own system do their own thing. But there there's just so much out here now, and especially in Arizona.

SPEAKER_05 39:07

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 39:07

It's there's a lot of independently owned ones now and you know all that good stuff.

SPEAKER_03 39:12

Well, and there's um there's the Arizona, have you heard of the Arizona Autism Coalition group?

SPEAKER_00 39:19

I have.

SPEAKER_03 39:20

I think they're having like a summit coming up or something like that, an expo or something like that. Oh, yeah. Is it like downtown bike day? Oh, is it on the autism expo? Oh, is it? Yeah, there's all kinds of stuff. So when I hear something, I'll send it your way. That way you can set up a table or just even walk around and you know, talk to people and that's a cheap way to do it.

SPEAKER_00 39:42

Yeah, buy a family ticket and walk around. I'm learning.

SPEAKER_03 39:45

So I'm I I'm uh I mean yeah, we want we want to go to some of these places, but it's like five hundred dollars. We're like, just participate mingle and then the bottom card and there you go.

SPEAKER_00 40:00

Bootstrapping this thing. Yeah, that's how you get started though, right?

SPEAKER_05 40:05

Against finest.

SPEAKER_00 40:06

Yep, we were talking to a lawyer about trademarking and all that because pickleball is a big name and pickle pals is used in other places, it's not just us. We don't want anything to happen, but at the same time, we're gonna have $2,500 for a trademark.

SPEAKER_03 40:22

We could do a pickle pals A Z or something, you know what I mean? That's how that's how you get away with it, it's just adding that like Arizona or AZ to it or something. When it gets to that point, yeah, yeah. All right.

SPEAKER_00 40:36

Um so well, I was gonna say, yeah, but you guys were talking about oh, everything's out on the East Valley. That's one reason why we're like focused on chicken and pickle, because the West Valley is like not lacking, but there's a lot of people out here. Yeah. There are a lot of people in the West Valley.

SPEAKER_03 40:53

I think it's just we've been the West Valley's been here longer. That's a good thing. I'm born and raised in Arizona, so like I've seen it, it's still growing, but the East Valley just really boomed like Chandler, Gilbert, like Queen Creek, Santana Valley, all that just really boomed out here. And then we have more of senior population out this way. So but you know, it is we're we're all still over here, people.

SPEAKER_00 41:20

Yeah, so so with so with that said, the one one gym that's on the west side, and I'm not super familiar with them, but they've gotten really good reviews from other people I've talked to. It's called Special Strong. And I think what they do is they kind of contract out with like other locations, so like maybe like a physical therapy office, like at a hospital or something. So that way it's a little bit more like not high-end, but like you're not walking into an LA fitness. Yeah, yeah, or an ESI. Yeah. And they have like a process that you you inch get introduced, like you don't like you can look up the location online and you can probably zoom in on the map, but there's no like address on those locations. So you have to like contact the trainer. Ah, good. So it's not like where you can just show up and yeah, yeah, go through a process, you you meet the trainer there, they take you through work out, and then you basically sign up after that. So it's it's called yeah, it's called Special Strong, and they're and they have locations all across the valley. They do? Oh, good. Yeah, but but specifically like, you know, because there's a lot of these places, and trainers I'm gonna mention are more East Valley, but they they have at least a few places in like Peoria, um, what's all the way out there? Goodyear, I think.

SPEAKER_05 42:38

Yeah, okay.

SPEAKER_00 42:39

So and and they, like I said, I don't know the owner of the West Valley, Arizona special strong per se, but they've gotten good reviews from other vendors I've talked to. So that's wonderful. So that's that's a good option in the West Valley. Um a few of the apps that would be good for exercise, and the apps are great because one of them, they're they're called Kenzie's Kids, I think. You guys have heard of them. Yeah, yeah, yeah. They created an app. Yeah. So I think it's you know, just kind of starting off, so I don't know the depth of it, um, but they're legit, you know. Um but the one that's really, really nice, it's called Exercise Exercise Buddy.

SPEAKER_04 43:18

Exercise Buddy.

SPEAKER_00 43:19

It's partnered with who I'm like certified through. It's called ACSM, it's American College of Sports Medicine. Okay. Um, so it's very much research backed, research based. Um, and they have it it takes a little bit to get used to the format, so the parent should kind of play around with that. But they have it kind of set up where it's like you get your workout, it's a checklist, they got pictures of the exercise, they got videos of the exercise. You click on it, it kind of goes over to the done side after the student's done with it. So it's very much built for autism and exercise.

SPEAKER_04 43:54

Oh, that's awesome.

SPEAKER_00 43:56

So that's a good thing. I didn't even know that was at home. I didn't until you know you're doing Research trying to help these kids like, hey, come across this and come across that.

SPEAKER_05 44:04

Wow.

SPEAKER_00 44:05

Yeah. And then more in the East Valley, there's there's a few trainers. Like, there's a guy named Tyler Smith, and he has a gym in Mesa, and he charges like 20 or 5, 20 or 25 dollars for a group class or something like that. And his classes are legit. He's he's awesome. He's the first.

SPEAKER_03 44:23

That's like the group size pretty small.

SPEAKER_00 44:25

Four to six.

SPEAKER_03 44:26

Oh, perfect. Yeah, perfect. Yeah. Because he probably understands you can't have a big group.

SPEAKER_00 44:30

Yeah. Yeah. And and some of the parents there help the kids. Oh, yay. It's just him. So some of the parents help. And and but most of the kids there are able to like do the exercise, read what's next, do the exercise, follow the chart. Okay. Um, and and he's great. And he does a lot of stuff like tennis ball catches, and but also it's like a gym, so they're getting like some of the heavier weights in, they can get on the treadmill and run, so it's a legit.

SPEAKER_05 44:58

Wow. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 44:59

So so he can so that's the one thing about mobile work. I'm not I'm not bringing in like 35-pound dumbbells to work with these people. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 45:08

But you're also probably helping the ones in the home that are like don't have that ability to do that. Yeah. So it's great that they after you know they've kind of mastered some skills with you, they have those options to go to those places that are comfortable and competent. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 45:24

Yeah, definitely. Yeah. Um, and then so I'll just bring it over to the other. Go for it.

SPEAKER_04 45:28

So go for it.

SPEAKER_00 45:29

Aspire Kids Sports Center. Separate them, yes. Um they do adaptive gymnastics. Yes, yes, that's right. Like Chandler Gilbert area. And then not to confuse, they're an AS as Aspire. Aspire, yeah. Inspire is a gym up in Scottsdale.

SPEAKER_04 45:50

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 45:50

And they do, and I think they have some outdoor stuff out in the West Valley, but their gym is actually like in Scottsdale. Okay. And they're a great group. Again, I haven't necessarily connected with the owner, but they've gotten really good reviews from other vendors.

SPEAKER_03 46:05

I think Scottsdale's a good like neutral vocation.

SPEAKER_00 46:07

It's not bad. If you can get on the 101 during non-rush hour time, right.

SPEAKER_05 46:14

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 46:17

But they but they do um other camps and social type skills. Physical activity, social skills.

SPEAKER_03 46:25

And I'm because that goes hand in hand with some of the sports, right?

SPEAKER_00 46:28

It totally is. Yeah, you gotta communicate and you gotta, yeah, we kind of work together as a team. Oh my gosh, yeah, 100%.

SPEAKER_03 46:34

Yeah, that's that's not easy for them to do.

SPEAKER_00 46:36

So I'm pretty sure they do some stuff out in the West Valley. Yeah, wow, that's really cool.

SPEAKER_03 46:40

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 46:41

Yeah, yeah, no, and then we mentioned it off air, but Mikey's league is also like really good, and they're starting to grow more in the West Valley, and they're kind of hopefully gonna partner with us with some pickleball stuff. So it'll be they do what sports do they do right now? Baseball? They just started baseball, but mostly basketball and flag football.

SPEAKER_03 47:00

Oh, flag football, that's right. That's what I always think.

SPEAKER_00 47:02

They've kind of dipped their toes in a little bit of everything, but those are kind of their bread and butter, I think. Yeah, I would say I don't want to put words in their mouth.

SPEAKER_03 47:09

But do you work with individuals with Down syndrome as well? Yeah, yeah. I always imagine they probably have some similar um challenges and things that they need help with, like autistic individuals do. Yeah. It's great to see like them well, like do things together. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 47:26

When I first kind of started, one of the moms was talking to me and she was like, Yeah, it's kind of like you know, puppies and like older cats. Older cats.

SPEAKER_01 47:44

She's so cute.

SPEAKER_03 47:45

Yeah, yeah. Oh my gosh, yeah. I like my kids league. Yeah, that's a great um organization. Have you um I have a friend that works with Special Olympics? Yeah. Have you talked to them at all?

SPEAKER_00 47:58

We haven't. Um, and I love Special Olympics, they're just focused kind of on like tournaments and a little more competition. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 48:07

That's like down the road with the developed all these skills, right?

SPEAKER_00 48:10

Yeah, yeah. If we get if we're running it for years and we got kids that have developed, or if we're working with Mikey's league and they have 18, 19 year olds that want to grow, we can get them into more of a competitive league, you know. I'm sure that's not an option or not a difficult thing for us.

SPEAKER_03 48:26

Right, yeah. So I I brought that up because I just I had a feeling that maybe someone might, you know, think about that. And yeah, that's special indexes a little bit more when they're mastered those skills. And yeah.

SPEAKER_00 48:38

And well, and then actually I look at my notes, I almost forgot out in the West Valley Lex, she was on your podcast.

SPEAKER_01 48:45

That's how we that's how we met.

SPEAKER_00 48:46

Yeah, that's that's how we're all connected with the photographer. Yeah. Yeah, she's she did the They do kick, they're starting kickable, they're starting kickleball. They're starting kick, they're starting kickable. New sport.

SPEAKER_01 49:02

How can we combine the two?

SPEAKER_03 49:05

Yeah, uh, yeah, that's so cool. And that's I told Mike because I was like, I wish Jack's gonna participate, but he just he doesn't have those skills developed yet. But I love that like you know, moms are starting these things for the kids and being all-inclusive, and she includes kids not on the spectrum too, and that's important too, is for them to work together.

SPEAKER_00 49:26

They yeah, they need to understand, and that's the the neurotypical need to understand, you know, the compassion and empathy, and yeah, need to, you know, it it takes some a little bit longer for some kids.

SPEAKER_04 49:38

And you know, okay, AJ. For parents looking for resources, are there websites, YouTube channels or tools that you recommend?

SPEAKER_00 49:49

Y Yes, definitely, because that's like when you're starting probably anything with kids on the spectrum, being able to like use the tablet probably helps a little bit. Yeah. Um so and so now that I'm thinking about that, I'm drawing a blank on some of them, but um that exercise buddy app, yeah, the creator of that also does some YouTube videos and series and and he's does a lot of uh working with groups too, like schools and stuff. So you can you can kind of pick up on some of the things that he talks about and does with his students and his kids and like not mimic, but you you know, the parent understands their kid the best, is what I say. Yeah. Oh, thank you for saying that because yeah, it's so true. It is because if I go in there, because I guess what I'm saying at the apps are really good too to starting off. Um some of the kids they need to have music on or something. So like that's you know, a lot of people need music when they're working out.

SPEAKER_03 50:50

Yeah. Um I I know we do.

SPEAKER_00 50:52

Yeah, check having that checklist. So if you just like put in workout into their schedule and you give them the checklist at the time, and sometimes just getting into the routine is what they need.

SPEAKER_01 51:05

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 51:06

Because if you're if you just go up to them, you're like, hey, we're gonna do exercise today, like you know, that don't work.

SPEAKER_04 51:12

That doesn't work.

SPEAKER_00 51:13

So so adding it into the to the daily schedule literally on the calendar, yeah. And then giving them that piece of paper with like boxes for them to check off, like if you're gonna have to. Yeah, like if they're if you know, maybe s like some parents do it with laundry, like they have the checklist for the kid looking at laundry or something, it just becomes the exercise checklist. Yeah. Um, and then making sure it's kind of like more or less the same time every day. Yeah. And that's a really good way to get started. Again, they m it start with a few minutes and you can gradually work up.

SPEAKER_03 51:46

Um so that's a lot, you know what, a lot of what you're teaching is a lot of how ABA therapy works. And it's just it's just blowing my mind.

SPEAKER_00 51:58

And exercise is great with the ABA therapy because it's you're working on the same skills.

SPEAKER_03 52:02

Yeah, you're you're doing piece by piece, little by little, to get the whole big picture, and like you're talking about the checks and stuff like that. We have a thing called PEX boards where it's like first you do this, and they call it first and then board. So it's like kind of the same concept, and that's just that's how they learn, you know.

SPEAKER_00 52:20

Active participation is great too. Like I'm doing the workout with the kid a lot of the times.

SPEAKER_03 52:25

Because they gotta see by example, right? Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 52:28

That's the best last thing they want to do is you could just stay fit too when they're doing, you know.

SPEAKER_03 52:32

That's a win-win.

SPEAKER_00 52:34

You know, when when I got, you know, a a family and a full client load, and I'm driving around, it's like, you know, we can I don't need to go to the gym today. Just like everyone else. I get home from work and I don't want to work out. I want to have dinner and put my daughter to bed and go to bed. Yeah, exactly. Yeah, I'll get some push-ups in with the clients I see.

SPEAKER_03 52:59

Yeah. Right, and say depending on who you see, you might get more of a workout than others. But yeah, uh, good for you. All right. Um, so you mentioned us before.

SPEAKER_00 53:11

Sorry, I'm gonna talk about the websites too, because the equipment is also important. Because, like, for example, like there are dumbbells where you can get rubber-coated dumbbells that are colorful. Yeah. Or you can get just black, you know, steel ones that are not comfy to grip. Right. So that kind of difference can be big when working with your kids. And um I mentioned I had a kid that kind of goes around on the scooter and you and they have like one of the websites, it's let me get this, because this is I'm gonna it's called autism-products.com.

SPEAKER_03 53:46

Yes, yes, yes. They have great stuff. Yep, so they have like they have like I get the I get like I signed up and I get an email with like I think it was like Black Friday, I got some or President's Day Sales.

SPEAKER_00 53:57

Yeah, they get they have like all those like peanut balloons, peanut balls. Um they have like the the spinning chairs.

SPEAKER_03 54:06

They have like the things that they can step on.

SPEAKER_00 54:10

Yeah, the the balance boards, yeah, um, you know, all that stuff. They got weighted like hacky sacks with different textures, so they can like, you know, that way instead of picking up a weight, you're picking up a two-pound like plushy thing. Yeah. And that's safer for them to like toss or to yeah, you know, if you're gonna learn how to throw, you're not gonna, you know, you want something soft. That's also got a little bit of weight to it.

SPEAKER_03 54:33

Right. I didn't even think about that, that you could use one of those instead of like a dumbbell if they're not quite because grabbing a dumbbell like that is a different concept than like a ball, and they may not feel comfortable. Yeah, so it all depends on each kid, right?

SPEAKER_00 54:48

That you work with. Or the texture is a big thing too, with some of them too. So and that and that gives the parents they can look through all the products and they can be like, well, I think that's gonna work best with my kid, because I can bring whatever over, and there's always a transition period, you know.

SPEAKER_03 55:03

Yeah, yeah, that's awesome. I know I love that. I love that store.

SPEAKER_00 55:07

Oh, and then the other one's autism community store. Oh, yeah. So if you just Google Autism Community Store, okay. There's a little more difficult to find. You gotta go to the sensory tab, sensory rooms, and then it's sensory gym. Oh, okay. But they have like if you go to an ABA center, they have like the rock walls, they have like the big pads that they can yeah, they have so that kind of stuff's on that website, but they also have some of the more like smaller equipment, like they have the scooters and stuff like that too.

SPEAKER_03 55:38

Cool, okay.

SPEAKER_00 55:39

And what I recommend to parents is you can go to these sites, get the verbiage of the item, and then just paste that into Amazon. Yeah, and find my own. So then it's shipped instead of shipping.

SPEAKER_03 55:52

And ESA covers some of this stuff too, I think, right?

SPEAKER_00 55:55

Um some equipment, I think. I don't know all the ins and out, and I hate saying that. But they can always look into it.

SPEAKER_03 56:02

I know some things they might, because I have a friend that was like, oh, I bought this with this ESA quick.

SPEAKER_00 56:09

Like they should easily be a little bit in with a curriculum or something.

SPEAKER_03 56:13

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 56:14

That's amazing what's out there. Yeah, but those websites are legit, and and usually Amazon has the products for cheaper too. That's the other thing.

SPEAKER_03 56:21

Yeah, so yeah, and they're pretty equivalent in T. Oh, totally, yeah. Yeah. Yeah. There's so much resources out there.

SPEAKER_00 56:28

Yeah, well there's there's a lot of good and there's a lot of bad, so it's do your research, right? And it helps to, you know, someone who wants to offer up the advice and to give it out, because that's the biggest thing is like like I said before, the average American's overweight or obese, like we just need to get people moving. Yeah. You know, it doesn't really matter what specific population it is, everyone needs to be active and everybody needs to be moving.

SPEAKER_03 56:54

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 56:55

And and it help and the benefits are numerous and abundant. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 57:01

And even if you're, you know, wheelchair bound, there's things that you, you know, are movement. Like there's they're always, you know, I always hear about different age populations and disabilities. They're always trying to get those individuals to move some part of their body if they can't move another, right? Yeah. Your brain your brain and body just they just need it to thrive.

SPEAKER_00 57:24

Yes, you you yep, you do.

SPEAKER_03 57:26

Yeah, it's very adaptive doesn't mean limiting. Yeah. No. Doesn't mean that you're limited. Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 57:32

No.

SPEAKER_03 57:33

Um, so you mentioned br uh previously, uh Dr. Ben Burdo.

SPEAKER_00 57:41

Yes. Yeah, uh share with us uh he's yeah, Dr. Ben. So he's a professor at I think he's at University of Alabama right now.

SPEAKER_03 57:53

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 57:54

Um, and he he's a uh has autism, he's on the spectrum. He's on the spectrum himself. And he uh so in his in his forties, I think. So he was die and I don't remember his whole story. You can probably look him up. Yeah, you can yeah, and he he has a very uh Louisiana last name.

SPEAKER_01 58:14

Yes, so I that's what I was wondering. I was wondering if he's from like New Orleans.

SPEAKER_00 58:19

I wish I could spell it for you, but yeah, if you typed in like Dr. Ben Autism Advocate, it should especially if you put University of Alabama, it should pop up with his story. But he was, you know, back back in the day, you know, his you know, people didn't went they weren't aware. I mean it's exactly like smoking with cancer, like people just didn't know.

SPEAKER_04 58:39

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 58:40

And so he was more of like a teenager, I think, maybe like ten or ten or nine before he was actually diagnosed, and even after he was, it was and that's amazing for that time of that era for him to be diagnosed at that age. Uh I but maybe he was a little older, but I I don't remember specifically. But even after that, his parents were like, you know, there's nothing wrong with my son, you know. So this so there's a lot of that. You know.

SPEAKER_03 59:06

Yeah, it's not that there something wrong with them, they're just the frameworks a little differently, but that's right.

SPEAKER_00 59:14

So when he went through the whole medication mirage of, you know, of because uh and I don't know all the details, but I'm sure it was not as fine-tuned of a process back then that it was today. So he, you know, very depressed, spiraled, you know, didn't do well. And in college, he wanted to do exercise and he wanted to do this and that, and he literally had a professor tell him that like you're you can't do it. Oh so that was kind of like his biggest like downfall. Because he's like, What are you talking about? Like I'm asking you for help and you're basically refusing. Like, not basically, you're literally refusing. So it's breaking. Yeah, no, it's it's it it's it's I wish I could put myself in in, you know, other people's shoes sometimes to like, you know, fully comprehend, you know, what's going on. Yeah. And his mom was basically like, I'm not gonna let you just be a deep depressed mess your whole life. So he started working out. He started getting in a gym, and that was one of his challenges was before is because he couldn't couldn't do it like you know, everybody else. Yeah. And and now he's running like he's ran the Boston marathon, he's done the New York marathon. It's it's pretty incredible, and the way he describes what exercise has done to his life is truly remarkable.

SPEAKER_03 1:00:45

Wow, I can't wait to look him up. I'll be doing that. Yeah, that's amazing.

SPEAKER_00 1:00:50

There's no you can't do anything, right? No, yeah, and and so now and he he does research on like the 24 hour sleep in body and physical activity cycle. Uh he's uh big fancy epidemiologist now, so he studied diseases and like the origin of diseases. It's pretty incredible. It's incredible. Yeah, I know it's pretty incredible. Well to put it to put it nonchalantly.

SPEAKER_03 1:01:13

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Exactly. Yeah, these it's and these individuals, uh, you know, I'm so glad his mom got pushed him to get out of that because he wouldn't probably be who he is today without that. Because he'd probably just listen to that one person say, I can't do this. No, now I hope he's like, look at me now, I hope, you know. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 1:01:34

Good for him. Yeah, no, it was, yeah, it's a really, really powerful story. And he and that now I can't think of the the actual guy who started the exercise buddy app, but they worked in tandem to kind of like get the research done to start that app.

SPEAKER_03 1:01:51

So he's just making changes all over the world.

SPEAKER_00 1:01:54

Yeah, he's yeah, he's yeah, he's really, really great guy.

SPEAKER_03 1:01:57

Wow. Do you hope to meet have you met him before? Oh yeah.

SPEAKER_00 1:01:59

Oh yeah, I interviewed him, yeah. Um I did a little presentation for Polaris Academy like maybe a year ago. Yeah because I was like, what would be more inspirational for kids with autism to hear from a professor of the city? Yeah, yeah. You know, I I'm just like you guys. I had people tell me that I couldn't do it, and thanks to my mom, you know, I started and and I kind of told the kids I was like, it doesn't matter if it's exercise, if you like art. Yeah. There are a bunch of other kids out there who were told that they can't do art, and you guys can inspire them to make art.

SPEAKER_03 1:02:35

Yeah, exactly. Yeah. So cool to find someone in your field that is on the spectrum that paved ways for others, you know.

SPEAKER_00 1:02:46

Yeah, no, it it's I guess kind of m maybe not a cliche, but like seeing someone like you do something really like helps.

SPEAKER_03 1:02:54

Oh yeah, 100%, right? Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 1:02:57

Well, I mean, just I mean, for my daughter, just going through the networking and businessing that I'm doing, seeing all the women in business in Arizona, I think's amazing, and it's inspirational for me to, you know, provide for her so that way she can do similar, you know.

SPEAKER_03 1:03:11

I'm not dreams. Yeah, yeah. Yeah. Well paving the way for the next generation, right? Always. All right. Um, let's see.

SPEAKER_04 1:03:25

You need to zip into our son of the you work with so many families, so what's the most repor rewarding part of what you do?

SPEAKER_00 1:03:38

That's a that's a good question. Um and and it's always I always feel so selfish answering that, but it's it's seeing the it's seeing either the kids do something that you know they didn't think they would be able to do, or or it's even like some of my older clients, like if they were on two blood pressure medications, now they're on one blood pressure medication. That's life changing. Yeah, yeah. Yeah, and or well, or like we said, life changing. I did unfortunately one of my clients he had pretty end stage uh heart failure. So, you know, I worked with him and he, you know, had had his time and his partner was just I mean, we we cried together because he was very appreciative of, you know, but you probably helped him to live longer than he probably would have.

SPEAKER_03 1:04:34

You know, he gave it more years to him.

SPEAKER_00 1:04:36

Yeah, that that's that's obviously the point, you know, whether whether it's you know literally true or not true, but yeah.

SPEAKER_05 1:04:42

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 1:04:43

You would like to think you tried to improve the quality of life as for as long as you could.

SPEAKER_03 1:04:48

Yeah. Well, I can tell you from us as moms, you know, hearing um individuals like yourself that are have that compassion and that like it excites you to make a difference in their lives. Those are the people like you know, we appreciate that so much. So it's not selfish for you to say that as well.

SPEAKER_00 1:05:11

It's not at all because you know and now as as I having a family as my own, I like I want like it makes me more passionate about it. I you know, it makes me like like every single session I want to like make sure this kid is getting like the most out of it that they can.

SPEAKER_03 1:05:28

Because you probably think if this is my daughter, yeah, I would yeah, I would want the same for that.

SPEAKER_00 1:05:33

So it's it is kind of like you're getting that thought process of it too. So it's it's it's it's it's extremely rewarding.

SPEAKER_03 1:05:40

Yeah, good. Good for you. Um what keeps you mo motivated on hard days though? Like 'cause you know, let's be real, they're the autistic kiddos can be challenging and they can be some really, really hard days. Um yeah, what keeps me motivated?

SPEAKER_00 1:05:56

You know, it it's my family, mostly. like I was just saying it's so cliche to say but my I love my wife and you know she's she's the rock and then Ray my two year old she's like the brightest star you know she's amazing.

SPEAKER_03 1:06:12

And you guys have one on the way?

SPEAKER_00 1:06:14

Yep. Yep. Probably the beginning of July so another one girl.

SPEAKER_01 1:06:19

Oh June 29th. June 29th you guys are you're in the middle of summer you're getting them out.

SPEAKER_00 1:06:29

You don't have the whole summer they don't have to go the whole summer right in August so my my wife is kind of like why do we have to plan it out plan it out but like it's a good we already went through this trimester be the summer result on anybody new if you're not from Arizona you don't understand but it's 120 degrees here in the summer.

SPEAKER_04 1:06:54

If you're pregnant during that time you live in water probably I was born in September so I had a you did you went through the stayed as I were on a second floor apartment and we had a C-section with Ray.

SPEAKER_00 1:07:10

I my wife has you know I mean you have a support in that you have a big support in that yeah let's be honest um and she said walking up the stairs um third trimester was harder than after a c section I was like that's great like as a guy I was like that's a lot of think about it yeah yeah have you ever thought about she doesn't I was gonna say I don't I don't think much I should be like so there's like videos of like husbands uh testing like the the tension or like putting on like a thing yeah like a big pregnancy belly and just she wants me to do that I just say that because you're in uh the medical field and you get it and you probably like talking about weights and and and just how the body works and stuff like that I could I could see you like just being curious on how the body works with those types of things.

SPEAKER_03 1:08:11

It should just be a required not lying laws classes it should be required just kidding I am I'm all for you'll have to shut up us if you do everything we have a top go try and play pickleball exactly yeah totally just kidding anywhere we gotta have some fun right yes all right well before we start wrapping some things up is there anything else that you wanted to um bring to our listeners' attention that we haven't gone over yet um off the top of my head no no okay well we're gonna go a while yeah yeah we did uh so what is your long-term vision for adaptive fitness and inclusive sports um well at least with my companies it's just gonna try to I mean I think the vision with everyone try to grow it as big as you can and what that would mean for me is just helping as many families as you can.

SPEAKER_00 1:09:23

So with I don't mention it but with the pickleball we're turning it into a non profit so once all that gets going gets some fundraising going we're really trying to make it not only like accessible to everybody well we're trying to make it accessible to everyone by making it affordable for everybody. So you know getting getting as many people as you know as I can to be physically active is really I mean I think any personal trainer's goal.

SPEAKER_03 1:09:50

Yeah. So well like I said before I feel like you've got a great vision and it's it's gonna it's gonna get bigger from here forward. I can see it. Because the need is the need is definitely bad.

SPEAKER_00 1:10:00

Well and especially in Arizona the families move here for you know some of the resources that are here so it's so many.

SPEAKER_02 1:10:08

It is a good state for resources.

SPEAKER_00 1:10:10

It is a good state and and that's and you know and so we need good healthcare professionals to help with these kids and and adults too as they get older you know yeah and just because they're 18 doesn't mean they stop needing help.

SPEAKER_03 1:10:24

Exactly exactly yeah and if you could change one thing um about how society approaches people with disabilities um what what would it be? Because you know go not being involved in this world and not being involved with it um what would one change you would like to see? Um be brutally honest we have been all brutally honest and we've had people on the spectrum come on here and be brutally honest.

SPEAKER_00 1:10:56

You know I just wish people just didn't try to take advantage of other people so and that happens in every industry. It does and it's just a shame that it h that people take advantage of vulnerable populations like half my clients in cardiac rehab get scammed from because you know they're oh your grandson's in jail and and it's you know so and it's this and like you know there are vendors out here that you know maybe charge a little bit more than than they should and you know I understand they just see the dollar signs. Yeah and and I again I think I mentioned it earlier you know just because it's labeled adaptive doesn't mean it's more difficult for the provider to to do.

SPEAKER_03 1:11:41

So it's just a different way of doing something that you would do right yeah yeah no I see it a lot I see some companies you know that are see oh this is a moneymaker I'm gonna do this and do that and then I feel yeah on that one. Well it's good to s it's good to um meet somebody that's hasn't been involved in this folder and to see those same things. So it's good it's good to see that you you notice those things as well. Where can families connect with you and learn more about your program.

SPEAKER_00 1:12:14

Oh good yes so we so it's kind of just like me and Liz especially for the pickleball so we're we just got like some domain names and like a Gmail and all that so we're getting a social media for pickleball. Right now it's pretty much all posted on I don't even think I mentioned it my my personal training company is called Exercise Prescription.

SPEAKER_05 1:12:34

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 1:12:34

So that's a photo right there. Yeah yeah okay cool it's got a cute little heart I like it it is like a pill but it's exercise that's a prescription yeah it's if like I if people would take it like medicine they'd be a lot healthier um that's pr Instagram that's pretty much I'm working on a website and all that of course we'll tag you and whenever you have that up and running we'll definitely get that out there. Yeah for sure we'll be sharing your events also likewise you know that's that's whatever you guys or if Lex is doing anything with like autism society like you know yeah well April is approaching which is autism um if you're aware I know that's where it's me they're doing something out in surprise I'm sure so I'll have to be a vendor for that.

SPEAKER_03 1:13:25

Yeah um we're oh yeah she probably messaged you um I'm gonna be at the the Easter egg thing.

SPEAKER_00 1:13:31

Yeah so she she sent me initial details but I haven't gotten the official like flyer yet for it. Okay. Yeah yeah whenever it is yeah.

SPEAKER_03 1:13:39

Yeah we'll probably see you there.

SPEAKER_04 1:13:40

Yeah yeah all right what message would you like to leave parents listening today?

SPEAKER_00 1:13:48

Um I would say it's it we talked about a lot today but in the grand scheme of things just moving is probably the most important thing. So if it's not like super technical or super pretty if you're just having fun that's probably the most important thing.

SPEAKER_03 1:14:06

Tossing them in the bed wrapping them up in a burrito yeah yeah getting yeah getting them like I s like I say getting their heart rate up getting their exercise their muscles fatigued all good stimuli that dancing help them yeah dancing it's something like the just the movement yeah have a dance party like I I play keepy uppie with some like younger kids you know it's oh yeah okay I was like I was like uh all over 100 episodes like I'm a little older than blue quite that we've progressed from blue to paw patrol oh yeah too and then comes Blippy and Mika I hope we don't get to that phase I like paw patrol bluey was good too yeah blue that came Jackson's older older than that but Jackson loves the wiggles do you know the wiggles I do know the wiggles we met the wiggles last year yes so he dances he does like heads or was he a little like no oh it was I'll have to show you he was blown away like and he's nonverbal so he doesn't quite understand but we did I'll just tell you quickly we did like a special meet and greet on stage um before the show started and it was just us and two other families and they went down the line and when they came out he's like pointing at them and you know he's dancing and he'll do the movements they have a song called Walkabya Bear like and so he does the movements and stuff.

SPEAKER_00 1:15:38

And then that's what I one of the kids I work with he has a few shows that he and he's 16 so he has a few shows that he likes to watch and you know during those exciting episodes like I watch the episode and then we talk about it during the workout. And so as we're talking about the episode like when it's a really good one like and he gets excited and I can kind of like maybe his hands shake a little bit that's that gets me excited too because I know that's like him getting ripped up and excited yeah he likes it he wants to do it it gets him like motivated to do the workout.

SPEAKER_03 1:16:11

Yes and that's a big thing too with like ABA therapy is we do a lot of um they do a lot of motivating like what motivates them to do these things so you're probably utilizing that as well right yeah steps ahead of the game yeah you know it's you you learn behavior change strategies and you know on the web too in school and you're like oh I'm never gonna use these it's it's it's there's a lot of psychology you know that I'm thinking about you know to help.

SPEAKER_00 1:16:42

And with an older adult too you know yeah well it's not easy.

SPEAKER_03 1:16:46

So thank you for doing that because it's not easy to work in this population because you know what worked for them one day could not work for them the next time you're there. Right? And then you have to oh I have to pivot and try a different way.

SPEAKER_00 1:16:59

Yeah. Yeah or if they're just having a bad day or something. You know it's yeah.

SPEAKER_03 1:17:03

Yeah. All right Ted well thank you so much. Is there anything else that you'd like to share that we haven't gone over? No off the top of my head no thank you for sharing everything. We've learned so much and I can't wait to try and see if we can get you know Jackson to maybe utilize some of your services but um we'll definitely see you at the chicken and pickle event March 31st March 31st for Arizonians. And I would if you're not from Arizona um take a look and you never know what could be in your community right? Yes. Go online look up adaptive exercise you know you just I guess yeah I don't even think about that. So with the adaptive pickleball there's a group in Texas I'm not exactly sure which cities South Carolina is a group and then there's specifically Felicia's in South Carolina Felicia and they're called adaptive pickleball so they work with veterans and physical disabilities too but they definitely have more of a son is 16 14 14 yeah yeah she was just on our podcast and she's in South Carolina so yeah it's great and I'm just saying I'm sure they're all over the states and cities and stuff so you'll never know what you can find until you research it.

SPEAKER_00 1:18:23

And the ACN autism you mentioned they're nationwide they have camps everywhere.

SPEAKER_03 1:18:28

Oh awesome everywhere so acing like ace A C E I and I okay yeah so ACE is the serve and then they don't get to yes yeah that's clever clever yeah I always forget the terminologies for tennis sometimes yeah yeah all right well we are so grateful for the work that you are doing and uh grateful for you to be here today.

SPEAKER_00 1:18:53

Well I appreciate it and thank you for having me on this was this was awesome.

SPEAKER_04 1:18:56

Great well we're excited to see what the future holds for you and your books yes all right anything else you got ready to change the bowl button exercise thank you so much for tuning in we would like to get