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Name:
Matt Fettuccini
Age: 7
Medical Diagnosis: Autism, Non-verbal
Matt is a terrific 7-year old non verbal boy with Autism. At
the time of the original assessment Matt appeared as strong as
his peers, though he had difficulty organizing his body to complete
a task through a movement (appearing clumsy and awkward). He
also had difficulty learning new motor skills. Matt was unable
to maintain attention to a task for longer than 1 minute, needing
maximum verbal cuing to stay focused. His ability to organize
and stay focused to the task depended on the frequency of distractions
in the environment and the level of task difficulty. In addition,
he also had difficulty following a 2-3-step obstacle course.
Matt has been working with BIG FUN for 5 months now. Matt is
no longer distracted by the surrounding environment and is able
to complete the task at hand. Including completion of a 10 -
15 step obstacle course while being blindfolded. His new motor
skills include hopping on one foot, jumping, swinging upside-down,
and monkey bars.
Name: Kevin Tolma
Age: 3 1/2
Medical Condition: Pervasive Developmental disorder (pdd)
Kevin is a great 3.5-year-old boy with PDD. At the time of the
original assessment, Kevin appeared weaker then his peers. He
had difficulty organizing his body to complete a task through
a movement (appearing clumsy and awkward). He had difficulty
integrating upper and lower extremities to perform goal oriented
tasks. As a result, he had difficulty learning new motor skills.
Kevin was also unable to maintain attention to a task for longer
than 1 minute, needing maximum verbal cuing to stay focused.
In addition, his ability to organize and stay focused to the
task depended on the frequency of distractions. He also had difficulty
following a 3-4-step obstacle course.
Kevin has now been in the program for over 3 months; in that
time period he has gained upper and lower body physical strength.
His ability to learn new skills has increased. His attention
span has increased significantly. He is able to stay focused
through the completion of a tasks including obstacle courses,
swinging, bear crawls along parallel bars, and hanging on high
bar. We are happy to hear that due to the involvement with BIG
FUN, Kevin has not only gained physical strength, but self confidence
and courage that allows him to be much more active at parks and
playgrounds (Physically and socially).
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Hannah is a beautiful, smart 10-year-old girl who is an absolute
joy to work with. Hannah has been with Big Fun for almost
three years, and in that time she has made amazing improvements
and has also met and befriended many new people. When Hannah
first began with Big Fun, she demonstrated low endurance, muscle
tone, and strength, and a fear of heights and trying new things.
She also had difficulty balancing on unstable surfaces and balancing
on stable surfaces with a narrow base of support. In the last
three years, Hannah had a few setbacks, yet her strong character
shone through. Each time she returned to the gym, her hard
work and determination drove her to be stronger and more confident
than ever. She is now climbing over obstacle courses that
require a considerable amount of balance and trunk control; she
is stepping on and off high surfaces without any assistance; she
is walking on the low balance beam with very minimal assistance;
and she is sustaining her grip on bars for longer periods of time.
However, Hannah’s most amazing and exciting accomplishment
is on the trampoline: her record of 164 seat drops in a row!
Yes, one hundred and sixty four! Congratulations Hannah!
You are the Seat Drop Queen and Big Fun’s Student of the Month,
two very well-deserved titles. Keep up the great work!
Kayla is
an amazing 13-year-old girl, with a world of expressions for those
lucky enough to interact with her. When Kayla first started at
Big Fun she had decreased muscle tone and very low gross motor
control. Kayla was also uneasy on unstable surfaces as well as
in situations where her feet were off the ground. Kayla has been
attending sessions in the gym for about two years now. She has
made huge strides in overcoming her fear of heights and unstable
surfaces. As a result, she is now able to step on and off the
low balance beam with minimal assistance and step on and off the
trampoline without any assistance from her instructor. However,
her biggest accomplishment yet is her new-found ability to maintain
her bounce on the trampoline without assistance. Her endurance
has also increased, allowing her to sustain a more intense workout.
This has directly affected Kayla’s muscle tone and control
of her body, which have shown improvement. She is able to hold
herself steady on her hands and knees on the trampoline while
her instructor, Joclynn, bounces for up to 10 counts. Kayla continues
to amaze Joclynn with her non-verbal expressions of joy as she
enters the gym and her hard work throughout the session. Congratulations
Kayla on being the student of the month!
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