Where autism is no hurdle to gaining fitness

CHENNAI: Ashwin holds the ball, waiting for Saravanan to make eye contact so that he can pass it, but his partner is furiously wiping sweat from his body on a a sultry April afternoon.

Just as Ashwin throws the ball, the coach yells, “Saravanan, catch!” and despite the sweat covering his face, he catches in the blink of an eye the ballthat wouldhave otherwise hit his head.

For the 20-somethings, this is a feat. They are autistic and sensitive to sweat and pain. But they are now playing basketball, doing commando crawls, jumping over hurdles and more, thankstothefitness training programme at their school.

Fitnessis now a regular activity for the 60 students of

Swabodhini

Schoolfor Special Children along with occupational, speech, behavioural therapy and vocational training. “Introducing exercises in a way that is structured around a playful environment was the main motive. Some of our students may not have siblings to play with, or they may be excluded during playtime in their neighbourhood parks. Apart from that, some of them may have restricted movement. So we have included a specialisedfitnesstraining course in the curriculum,” said director Anuradha Mahesh.

Repetitive behaviour is a common trait in autism spectrum disorders and can lead to impulsive eating and make those with the disorder susceptible to obesity, diabetes and associated diseases, said Dr Shiva Prakash Srinivasan, a consultant psychiatrist at

Schizophrenia Research Foundation

(SCARF). Exerciseis repetitive, but by channelising it properly, students at Swabodhini are motivated.

When the programme began in November last year, T

Mathiyalagan

, a professional roped in to train students, could not get them to follow his instructions. “Therefore, I broke every movement down to the basics and ensured each student got my attention. I would show them the exercise and repeat it for them, then give them verbal instructions, and sometimes physically help them, by bending their knees during a squat, for example,” he said.

After five months of regular practice, Mathiyalagan is now confident of starting more advanced exercises using resistance bands and weights. The effort seems tohave borne fruit with parents happy with the achievements of their children. R Girija says her son has been calmer and sleeps better. “Unlike earlier, he is able to squat and use the toilet on his own too,” she said.

Swabodhini is organising a summer fitness training camp for thosewith autism-related challenges aged 10 and above at Thiruvanmiyur/ Velachery on April 16. For details, contact 9884281527

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