In Operation Pull Your Own Weight (OPYOW) we work with kids (from 3 to 93) in order to help them learn to perform pull ups, because anyone who develops that ability and maintains it is naturally immunized against obesity for life. On the other hand, Denise Anderson, founder and President of Special Needs Gymnastics (SNG) (a soon to be 501C3 not for profit corporation) located in Dallas helps special needs kids learn gymnastics, in the process resolves obesity issues…and lots more.
In Anderson’s words “With regard to weight control, special needs kids are the same as all other kids. Excess weight is a major deterrent to their success on the high bar, the beam, the pommel horse, the parallel bars, as well as climbing a flight of stairs or standing up from a sitting position. So we’re constantly counseling our kids on the benefits of good eating habits. In this fast food age kids can’t hear that message too often. And as you say, the ability to handle your own body in these challenging ways, serves as a functional antidote against obesity for our kids too. There’s no doubt about that.”
Body Control Issues
But as mentioned previously, by helping special needs kids learn gymnastics Anderson is biting off lots more than just weight control. She works with kids who have problems controlling their own bodies in a multitude of different ways.
“Some kids lack fine motor skills such as holding a pen, or a fork while others the problem is gross motor skills such as walking or hanging from a high bar,” she said. “We do lots of work with cross patterning in order to help kids coordinate their right and left sides. We spend time on sequencing skills that help our kids understand the concept of order. As the result our kids not only make giant leaps physically, but also academically, and socially. They’re simply more confident because of the gymnastics experiences.”
Both are Built on a Physical Foundation
Both OPYOW and SNG’s however recognize the physical body as the foundation on which to build towards more and more abstract ideas. Anderson explains, “The ability to physically grasp, control, and coordinate an object for example, generally precedes the ability to mentally grasp, control, and coordinate an idea or a concept. And when you improve a student’s ability to coordinate and control their own body it carries over and almost automatically improves them mentally, emotionally, and socially.”
Special Olympics Involvement?
Asked if she interacts with the Special Olympics Anderson said that she’s done very little of that. “The Special Olympics is a huge business enterprise which forces them to concentrate on sports that attract large viewing audiences, which in turn attract sponsors with lots of money, who in turn demand a return on their investments. Since Special Olympics was originally conceived around track and field, that’s where their biggest crowds come from. To date gymnastics has been on the backburner.”
Started in 1987
At the age of 17 Anderson started Special Needs Gymnastics as the result of a challenge over 20 years ago, and she’s been at it ever since. She’s built an extremely unique reputation one client at a time, and two decades later she’s in demand from coast to coast. “Our clients evidently like what we do for them because one client inevitably led to two, and two to four, etc. And other than our website, we’ve never done any advertising at all. For what ever reason, our clients have carried that part of the load.”
In Demand Coast to Coast
When she travels, Anderson has either been called by a parent with a special needs challenge, or with a gymnastic club who’s mainstreaming special needs kids into their program and who needs to know how to work with this population most effectively.
“On the average, I’m in Dallas/Fort Worth three days a week, and I travel two or three days,” she said. “And when I travel I have to find ways to cost justify the trip so I’m always asking if there’s a gymnastic club or a school in the area that could use a workshop on this topic. And since I’m apparently one of the few people in the US who has combined gymnastics with special needs kids, the calls keep coming in.”
Further Info
If you’re interested in knowing more about how gymnastics enhances the lives of special needs kids feel free to check out Denise’s website. If you need to speak with her directly give her a call at 806-438-3227 during normal business hours.
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