This past Saturday, April 27th, We Rock the Spectrum – Severna Park hosted a Developmental Resource Fair for the community to welcome their new owners, Octavia and Devon Brown. These rockstar owners share a passion for serving the community. Octavia is a social worker that has dedicated the past 12 years of her life working to encourage, empower, and uplift the under-served. Devon is an entrepreneur and believes that business is more than just about making money and that it should be used to give back. Their combined experience and desire to make a difference make them the perfect addition to the WRTS family! Along with access to the daily gym equipment, there was face painting and a petting zoo for children and their families. Vendors like Turning Point Applied Behavioral Analysis, Hope Chiropractic & Wellness, Young Living Essential Oils and Therapy Solutions for Children were on display to share their awesome resources. The support from the Severna Park community didn’t stop there! Local restaurants …

This past Saturday, April 6th, We Rock the Spectrum – Williamsburg hosted a Meet the New Owner celebration to welcome Kimberly Moore to the WRTS family. Kimberly is an autism mother born and raised in Williamsburg, VA. Prior to owning the We Rock gym, she managed two local hotels. Her son, Aiden, was diagnosed with ASD when he was 4 years old. We Rock the Spectrum has provided a comfortable and safe space for her son to discover, learn and play. “[We Rock the Spectrum] is a place where parents can come together and talk about the struggles, the challenge of finding adequate services, and the developmental breakthroughs.” Kimberly and her team showed the community just how committed they are to providing a safe and fun place for ALL children. Not only did they show off their awesome space and their ROCKIN’ sensory-safe equipment, but they also provided face painting and arts & crafts. The James City County Police also stopped by to join in …

One of the greatest challenges that individuals with special needs face is a lack of fitness programs and gyms. They are not provided with the necessary equipment or physical activity needed to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Thankfully, a new gym designed especially for individuals with disabilities has made its debut in Los Angeles, CA! The ZOOZ Fitness studio in Encino opened its door on Sunday, March 10th. It is sure to make huge strides for the special needs community. We Rock the Spectrum is excited to support and welcome ZOOZ Fitness to SoCal! “Our grand opening was a huge success! The amount of love, support, and excitement we received was more than I could have ever expected. It was incredible to see how many of our current athletes as well as prospective athletes, and their families came out on Sunday,” says owner and founder, Jake Weiner. “I am confident, now more than ever, that what we are trying to create with our new gym space …

The We Rock the Spectrum International family is about to get quite a bit bigger across the pond! It has been an incredibly successful few months for our Australian franchise and we will be welcoming 4 new gyms in the land down under. Sally Johnson of the WRTS Corporate Australian office is on the team that brought the We Rock the Spectrum brand to Australia in 2018: “We had a hunch that the WRTS concept would be well received national in Australia, but we admit to being completely blown away by the support and interest the brand received,” says Johnson. “It is a hugely exciting time and we are so pleased that more communities around the country will soon have access to our sensory-beneficial play spaces.” Sally and her brother, Marcus, will be working hands-on with all of these upcoming gyms. Let’s introduce you to our new locations and the awesome new gym owners that will be joining the family! Wollongong, often referred to informally …

On Saturday, March 2nd, 2019, We Rock the Spectrum celebrated the grand opening of our first Canadian gym, We Rock the Spectrum – Oakville! Our CEO & Founder, Dina Kimmel, flew in for the big event. Tatiana and Boris Korosec are the amazing new owners of this newest location. They are parents to two awesome boys, Maxim & Aleks. Both boys are diagnosed on the Spectrum. Tatiana and Boris have made it a priority to spread awareness and to support other Autism parents. They heard about all the great work that We Rock was doing in America and knew they HAD to bring the franchise to Canada! Dina Kimmel and Grace Covino made the trip to Canada from our Corporate office two days prior to opening. Their guidance and help with setting up the gym was invaluable! This gym is the biggest We Rock gym in square footage so far. Dina gave it the prize of “most ready to open its doors”! The day was …

There are countless benefits to getting involved in sports at a young age. Kids learn invaluable skills like coordination, communication problem-solving, and encourages a healthy lifestyle! However, we understand that these skills may not come as easily to children who are on the spectrum. The core features of ASD effect social, communicative, coordinative and behavioral skills, which are heavily relied on for many team sports. Sports that require an advanced amount of communication and coordination can cause sensory overload and make it potentially difficult for kids diagnosed with autism to find the enjoyment that their typically developing peers do. This doesn’t mean that they should miss out on the chance to get involved! While there are sports that may not be suitable for children on the spectrum, we’ve compiled a list of six sports that have been proven to be a good fit for children with ASD:   Learning to swim is an extremely valuable skill for all children to know and translates into a great …