Adaptive Fitness & Gross Motor Development: A Gross Motor Skills and Athletic Development Guide

By Ricardo A. Cunningham

An increasing majority of children with varying levels of disabilities including autism, Aspergers, ADD, ADHD, Down syndrome, intellectual disabilities and behavior disorders; as well as typically developing children with varying skill levels, exhibit challenges with motor delays, co-ordination, self-esteem and weight management issues. These challenges make it difficult for children to just be children and participate in group activities with their peers. Early intervention is critical when dealing with such issues. Now, with the help of Adaptive Fitness & Gross Motor Development, parents will be able to work with their children in the comfort of their home. They will have a step by step guide on how to perform gross motor development activities the correct way and with proper form. They will be given step by step guide on how to perform hands on techniques for each activity for those children that need more assistance with performing the skills. And more importantly, they will be able to interact, connect with, empower, and motivate their children into going beyond unexpected limits.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Mar 28, 2015
• ISBN: 9781503555426

Ricardo A. Cunningham

Ricardo Cunningham is the founder of Life Changing Fitness LLC, a children’s fitness and therapeutic center in northern Virginia. He graduated from George Mason University with a B.S. degree in Health Fitness and Recreation Research and also obtained his A.S. degree in Physical Education from South Western Christian College. Ricardo is a pediatric fitness specialist and has over 13 years of experience working with children of all ages and developmental levels. He has also worked with several schools to promote the importance of health and fitness amongst all children; and to create programs to integrate neurotypical children and children with disabilities; where both demographics can work together to achieve common goals. He has also worked with George Mason University as a guest speaker educating a group of international students on therapeutic exercise and gross motor development for children with disabilities. Over the past 13 years, Ricardo has impacted the lives of many children with disabilities. He has a special gift for connecting with children with disabilities and helping them to develop their gross motor skills. Ricardo’s patience and knowledge has helped him to assist children that are physically disabled to walk; he has taught hundreds of children to ride their bikes; he has helped children that are overweight to lose weight and enjoy exercising; he has taught his students' team work and helped them to build their social skills through movement and sports.

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Copyright © 2015 by S&R Capital Holding LLC

www.lifechangingfitness.org

www.ricardoacunningham.com

Library of Congress Control Number:     2015904573

ISBN:     Hardcover     978-1-5035-5541-9

Softcover     978-1-5035-5543-3

eBook     978-1-5035-5542-6

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

Rev. date: 04/10/2015

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction

Reading This Book

Getting Started

Chapter 1 Learning Styles

Visual Learning

Auditory Learning

Kinesthetic Learning

Chapter 2 Connection And Motivation

Chapter 3 Gross Motor Skills And Activities

Chapter 4 Locomotors Skills

Running

Hopping

Jumping

Skipping

Galloping

Chapter 5 Sports Skills

Catching

Throwing

Kicking

Batting

Dribbling

Chapter 6 Balancing

Static Balance

Dynamic Balance

Chapter 7 Bilateral Movement

Chapter 8 Visual-Spatial Awareness

Chapter 9 Cardiovascular Endurance

Chapter 10 Reactionary Movement

Chapter 11 Bike Riding Techniques

Safety Precautions

Balancing

Steering

Braking

Coordination

Pedaling

Turning

Chapter 12 Strength

Upper Body Strength

Push-Ups

Shoulder Press

Lower Body Strength

Hopping

Squats

Using The Sitting Scooter

Core Strength

Sit-Ups

Standard Sit-Ups

Modified Sit-Ups

Crunches

Leg Raises

Planks

Conclusion

INTRODUCTION

An increasing majority of children with varying levels of disabilities including: Autism Spectrum Disorders, Asperger’s, ADD, ADHD, Down syndrome, intellectual disabilities and behavior disorders, as well as with typically developing children with varying skill levels exhibit challenges such as motor delays, coordination, self-esteem and weight management issues. These challenges make it difficult for children to just be children and participate in group activities with their peers. Early intervention is critical when dealing with such issues.

Children with disabilities speak the same language regardless of their nationality, ethnicity, or heritage; but they speak many dialects. To understand one child does not mean you understand another, it simply means you are closer to learning the multiple dialects that exist among children with disabilities. I have spent over thirteen years working with children with disabilities; and in that time I have mastered hundreds of dialects, allowing me to help children make life-changing transformations in their physical abilities.

In 2011 I founded my company, Life Changing Fitness LLC, and it has been my mission to create an environment for learning, developing social and physical skills, and enhancing creativity through personalized training programs. Our programs are customized for each child and have proven to improve their gross motor skills and athletic ability far beyond what was imaginable. Our success comes from connecting with the child, understanding the child’s dialect, strengths, and weaknesses, and knowing their limits.

Parents always ask me, Ricardo, how do I get my child to be motivated to do the same activities at home? I can’t get them to do half the things they do in gym. Some have even called me the Autism Whisperer. There is a simple answer to this question: each child learns differently, therefore you first need to determine the child’s learning style. The child may be a visual learner, auditory learner or a kinesthetic learner. Once you know the proper learning style to apply, you will begin to learn the child’s dialect and it will be easier to motivate the child to do activities at home.

READING THIS BOOK

Another common question I get from parents is, What can I do at home with my child, since we can’t come to the gym every day? We all know that children retain what they learn better through repetition, so, for a child with a disability, there needs to be more repetition to acquire skills in their activities. This book is designed to be a self-help book for parents, and anyone working with a child with a disability. This book can be used as a guide to the different types of activities, and their proper execution techniques, to help children with gross motor delays and also those needing to improve their athletic ability. The activities described will improve children’s motor planning, motor processing, balance, visual-spatial awareness, coordination, hand-eye coordination, cardiovascular endurance, and strength.

My techniques have proved to