Fall 2015 Perspectives

COLLEGE OF HEALTH CARE SCIENCES • 27 Opposite page, a runner goes for gold in the 100-yard dash. Right, an athlete shows good sportsmanship. Broward County. Little did they know the full impact the program would have on the participants and their families. In coordination with Special Olympics, located on the NSU main campus, Tovin and Simoes organized a Broward County track team consisting of eight individuals with ASD who ranged in age from 20 to 25. D.P.T. students Greg Alban, Genevieve Lyke, and Melissa Morales performed preseason fitness testing on all the participants and developed a 12-week train- ing program designed to meet the participants’ individual needs. The team met once a week for 12 weeks and partici- pated in three Florida Special Olympics Games at the county, regional, and state levels. The pro- gram’s goal was to improve physical fitness, but also to educate the participants and families about the physical, social, and emotional benefits of exercise. The participants called themselves the NSU Tiger Sharks and were provided with team uniforms by Broward County Special Olympics. Each participant competed in individual as well as relay races. Over- all, the team brought home many first-, second-, and third-place ribbons. Additionally, one of the Tiger Sharks’ relay teams, as well as three team members who placed first in the Area Games, qualified for the State Games held in Orlando in May. Qualifiers progress to the state level based on a lottery system, and one team member competed at the State Games. As anticipated, each participant improved his or her level of fitness throughout the season. The social and emotional benefits of participation for the athletes, as well as their families, were striking. According to one parent, “Participating in this Special Olympics team was a very positive experience for my son. Getting him to participate in group sports has always been difficult, but after the first team practice, and with the help and support of the NSU volunteers, he was excited and looked forward to meeting with the team each week. This was an all around enjoyable experi- ence for him from both a fitness and social perspec- tive, allowing him the amazing opportunity to feel a sense of belonging to a group and make new friends.” The experience also had an impact on the partici- pating NSU faculty members and students. “Fitness and wellness have gained new meaning to me since I began working with young adults with ASD,” said Simoes. “The opportunity to work with and provide services consisting of meaningful, health-related activity was truly unique. Each training day became an opportunity to witness effort and enthusiasm, to foster a sense of teamwork, to build a spirit of coop- eration and participation, and to facilitate social interaction and mutual support,” she added. “Ulti- mately, we were there to provide and serve; how- ever, the experience turned out to be a two-way street. We ended up receiving just as much as we