April is Autism Awareness Month
April is Autism Awareness month, so I’d like to take this opportunity to do something a little different with the blog. I spend a lot of time dispelling health and fitness misconceptions, so this month I’d like to discuss some of the common misconceptions surrounding autism.
Every month, we support a different cause through the Causely service, which donates money to different campaigns for every check-in on Facebook to the Vertex Fitness facility from our clients. This April we’re happy to support Autism Awareness month by partnering with The Autism Site to provide therapy for children with autism.
Every 2 check-ins provides one minute of therapy to an autistic child and their family. The Autism Site provides access to incredible play therapy sessions which promote long-term and short-term memory, stimulate language, negotiation and communication skills. It also nourishes the family by relieving stress and forging important emotional bonds.
You can take a quick glance at The Autism Site’s Facebook page and blog to see how their therapy makes a difference in the lives of the children and their families, and don’t forget that the hashtag this month is #autismawareness, if you’re posting a Facebook status about your workout.
In the spirit of autism awareness, I’d like to step back and let someone with autism speak for themselves. The artist Rebecca Burgess drew this wonderfully insightful comic from the perspective of her webcomic character, Archie, to help explain what we really mean when we talk about the “autism spectrum”. It was certainly eye-opening for me, and helped me have greater understanding of what we mean by these terms. To read the comic on its original site, click here.
To read the comic on its original site, click here.
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About the author
Dwayne Wimmer founded Vertex Fitness Personal Training Studio in 2001, excited to bring a new concept about personal training to the people of Philadelphia’s Main Line in Pennsylvania. Driven by knowledge and results both, while a strength coach at Villanova University, he worked closely with world class athletes such as Brian Westbrook, formerly of the Philadelphia Eagles, on strength training and conditioning for optimal performance. Dwayne’s client base extends much further than world class athletes. Along with athletes, he works with adolescents to seniors, and he’s a highly acclaimed and sought out personal trainer who has received numerous awards, such as Best of the Main Line Personal Training Studio and Best Main Line Personal Trainer. A graduate of Missouri Western State University, Dwayne has a Bachelor of Science degree in Physical Education, with an emphasis in Coaching. Aside from personal training, he’s spent time as a physical education teacher, strength and conditioning coach, and a football coach, but has found his passion and home in the fitness industry, inspiring and reaching out to others. As a strong believer in continuing to learn, Dwayne has also taken classes at East Stroudsburg University toward a Masters Degree in Sports Management. He can add author to his list of accomplishments, having created a chapter in the upcoming book The Soul of Success with Jack Canfield, renowned for the Chicken Soup series. To get to the point where he is now, Dwayne has always been thankful for the support of his father, a man who always believed in his mission and saw the need for what it was that Dwayne envisioned. During his free time, Dwayne is an avid motorcyclist who enjoys viewing the amazing landscapes and finding good restaurants to enjoy that are off the beaten path. He also takes advantage of opportunities to travel and experience many other cities while attending fitness seminars and giving presentations about the industry he is so passionate about. As a way to give back to the community that has been a part of his entire life, Dwayne has created Vertex Fitness PUMPED (People United Making Progress through Education and Donations), which provides support to area non-profits through a community-wide outreach effort. At this time, they help three non-profits per year in the Philadelphia area. For more information from Dwayne, you may contact him at (610) 525-6604, dwayne@vertexfit.com