It’s amazing when people look to include members of our community.
I used to be nonverbal. Today I travel the country each year educating on neurodiversity as a full-time professional speaker.
I’d be honored if you would follow my journey at Kerry’s Village https://www.facebook.com/groups/aspecialcommunity/
Great example: Puzzle Piece Athletics; started by personal trainer Chad Hooker in Pleasanton, California.
On his website where you can learn more about his program here it says he is now “Providing training for those with autism and other special abilities.”
Chad told WTHR about his now over 50 clients, “With positive motivation, connection and a little bit of love, you can get them to do anything. They are very, very capable.”
Growing up with autism, I often worked out in a OT facility as large crowds would be intimidating due to the loud noises. I personally wish that something like this existed when I was a kid. While we see more groups become certified to help those with autism,
Sports are another avenue I hope we can encourage for more of our loved ones. Here’s an article I was featured in about my journey from nonverbal to professional speaker and how I was able to make progress in my development thanks to basketball.
I haven’t heard much about gyms in the past doing things like this but I applaud Chad for his efforts here as I know how this could help many in our community. I hope others lead by his example so we can see this become a blueprint for more athletic programs throughout the world for the over 70 million people worldwide who have autism.
Follow Kerry’s journey on Facebook, his Facebook Fan Page, & Instagram! You can also support Kerry’s journey and receive special benefits
Kerry Magro, a professional speaker and best-selling author who is also on the autism spectrum started the nonprofit KFM Making a Difference in 2011 to help students with autism receive scholarship aid to pursue a post-secondary education.
We’ve interviewed over 100 self-advocates for our A Special Community video series to give them a platform to share their stories. Here’s one of our recent interviews with Brooke – a 15-year-old with autism. You can support our video series here.
