PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — Playtime hasn’t always been this fun for 7-year-old Julian Carty, whose sensory processing disorder often prevents him from getting off the ground. “I really wanted to try [the zip line], but my body wouldn’t really let me do it so I tried and tried and practiced and practiced and it finally worked and I went on it and faced my fear and I got it,” he said. These kinds of victories are part of the goal of the newly opened We Rock the Spectrum gym in Audubon, New Jersey, which aims to be a sensory-safe space, especially for children with autism and special needs. Read More Here
What is it like to have a sensory processing issue? “Your body feels wiggly, and you can’t control it,” said Julian Carty, 7. “It’s hard to do it,” he said. “It took me a while to figure it out.” After lots of practice, and lots of therapy, Carty has a good enough handle on his issues to make it through the school day while keeping focus. Afterwards, though, he often wants to come home and crash into a beanbag chair, or run around the yard of his Collingswood home with friends. Come Saturday, however, he’ll have a different option. That’s when his mom, Pip Carty cuts the ribbon on the new Audubon location of her sensory-friendly gym, We Rock the Spectrum. Read More Here
LAKE CHARLES, LA (KPLC) – We Rock the Spectrum Kid’s Gym offers a safe and inclusive environment for children of all abilities. The sensory gym caters towards kids on the autism spectrum but is a great place for any child to learn while exercising. They have suspended swings, a zip line, trampoline, an indoor playground, sensory-based toys, a fine motor area, and arts and crafts. They also offer classes to help develop kids in a safe and comfortable environment, including a hands-on art class called “Art for All.” The art class is a great way for children of all abilities learn and express themselves in a supervised, completely harmless setting. For more information on We Rock the Spectrum, and what they have to offer visit their website. Watch Video Here
There’s nothing more precious than “mommy and me” time, so it’s essential to carve out time for those special moments before your child becomes a tween and reserves weekends and school breaks for friends and activities as far away from their parents as possible. In fact, a child’s cognitive and social skills have been linked to spending more time with their mother between the ages of 3 and 7, according to study by academics from the University of Essex and University College London that was reported on theguardian.com. Miami-based Pediatric Occupational Therapist Amy Baez, who created “Playful Jams” to encourage parent/child time, enjoys devoting her class to improving a child’s brain development while offering behavior-boosting exercises for children and their parents. “At my class, the parents do not drop the kids off and leave,” Baez said. “Parents are required to be there and participate.” Baez’s classes are split into two age groups — 2-4 and 5-9 — so each group of children can thrive among …
A gymnasium targeted toward children with autism and other special needs is proposed for a Palatine shopping center on Dundee Road. Mary Alice and Hugh Gilgunn of Arlington Heights want to open a We Rock the Spectrum Kid’s Gym franchise in a 3,400-square-foot vacant space at Northwest Shopping Center, on Dundee Road just east of Hicks Road. It would be the first Chicago-area location for the growing franchise based in Tarzana, California. “We’re really excited to bring this to Palatine,” Mary Alice Gilgunn said during an advisory zoning board of appeals meeting Tuesday. Gilgunn described We Rock the Spectrum as a sensory gym to help children in neurological growth in an atmosphere that’s safe and not overwhelming. The gymnasium is designed for children with autism spectrum disorder or other special needs, but all kids can play there. Read More Here
A franchise of We Rock The Spectrum gyms in the US, the centre is built for children with special needs, with specialised equipment including ziplines, swings and slides. All equipment is designed by occupational therapists to aid the sensory development of children with processing disorders, and aids motor skill development and sensory processing. The play centre also has areas for medical practitioners and allied health professionals to work out of, and aims to be a “hub” for families with children with disabilities. Thornbury mum Sally Johnson will open the gym, which is now under construction, with brother and business partner Marcus, and says the gym will welcome kids of all abilities. Read More Here
Saturday was a great day for spreading Autism Awareness. It was Autism Awareness Day at Busch Stadium. Scott Range, 24, got to throw the first pitch. He has Autism. He was also his mother’s inspiration for opening ‘We Rock the Spectrum’ in Edwardsville. Scott’s family watched him throw the first pitch on the field today. Scott’s mother, Jennifer Range, was moved by the event. Autism Speaks’ Kansas City-St. Louis executive director, Megan Hoffman, told 5 On Your Side that she, too, was moved by the Autism Awareness Day at Busch Stadium. Read More Here
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — April is Autism Awareness Month. According to the Kansas City Autism Training Center, nearly 8,000 kids in the greater Kansas City area live with autism. Autism Awareness Month is an opportunity to educate the public about what autism is, what it isn’t, and what it looks like. Kids living with autism have meltdowns in public because they’re overstimulated. For Cassidi Jobe, whose sons Preston and Parker live with autism, this meant getting kicked out of multiple places. Cassidi, along with her husband Phil, opened “We Rock The Spectrum” Kid’s Gym, for all kids. “It was for our family, but it was for countless other families as well.” The gym is more than just a place for all kids to play and hang out; it’s an opportunity for the Jobe family to make a difference. “It was heartbreaking,” said Jobe, reflecting on all the places they got kicked out of. She felt cut off from the community, and not welcome. “I had a …
Imagination Day At Westfield Brandon The 2018 Imagination Day will take place at Westfield Brandon on Saturday, April 21 from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Bring the whole family out for a day packed with family-fun free activities and creativity. Imagination Day benefits We Rock the Spectrum Kid’s Gym of Clearwater & Tampa. Entry, parking, and all activities are free and the first 100 Children will take home a Superhero Cape. There will be free activities & entertainment including multiple ‘Creation Stations’ like Dixie Bell Paint Company’s Rock Painting activity to our Official Discover Partner, MOSI’s Science Lab & a Mad Science feature. In addition, most Exhibitors will be offering a creative or educational activity at their booth. Dance Parties will be hosted throughout the day featuring an introduction from a local dance studio, and they will be teaching a few simple dance moves. Read More Here
Reston Community Center has added some new summer camps to its roster including some on filmmaking, jewelry making, engineering and environmental justice. The camp, Documentary Filmmaking: Summer Studio for Teens, will be taught by Peabody Award-winning filmmaker Rebekah Wingert-Jabi. Wingert-Jabi will teach documentary filmmaking for the four-week full-day camp, targeted for ages 13-16. The camp runs from July 9 through Aug. 3. Another new offering is a sensory-friendly camp called “We Rock the Spectrum,” a half-day camp for ages 6-11 that encourages strength, sensory processing, movement and positive social interactions through activities that include a zip line, rock wall, trampoline and obstacle course. The camp runs from June 25-29. The other offerings include “Trendy Jewelry Making” where campers will create up to five pieces in this weeklong session. There will be two sessions one from July 2-6 and the other from July 9-13. Read More Here
