Taking Chances!

Last Saturday was the 1st Zumba class after 2 weeks. We were off for Columbus Day weekend, and the previous Saturday I was supposed to do a 5K for Breast Cancer, but wound up sick in bed all weekend.

Needless to say, it was nice to see my students after the 2 week break.

I was not sure what to expect. It is my experience in the field of autism and special needs, that a break usually means that we might have to start from scratch upon returning.

They were all smiling, and ready to begin. They all took their places, eager for the music to start!

None of them missed a beat. In fact - they seemed to remember the music and the choreography perfectly. I also noticed a change in each student.

When I start teaching Zumba to a group of typical adults, they all start off a little hesitant amd reserved. As the weeks progress, I get to see the students evolve from quiet and clinging to the back of the class, to a group whooping, adding their own moves in, and starting to enjoy it for themselves.

I saw something similar take place this past weekend.

B - a beautiful young lady who started off shy, but smiled everytime I praised her, was laughing, smiling, and waving her arms around in new ways. I saw her taking more chances with the steps, and noticed her standing next to me more, liking what she saw in the mirror.

D, who marches to the beat of his own drummer and tends to get easily distracted, followed each and every move during the last class. He was smiling, jumping, and flapping through the moves - as he often does when he is happy - but has begun to follow when I move from side to side, up and down, and adding new arm movements.

L, who is hearing impaired, continues to smile and watch his friend X, who is a natural leader and enjoys pushing his friends to move more, shouting out praise and good jobs every step of the way. Whenever L gets lost with a move, all he needs to do is watch X, who will tell him, "Come on, L! Do this L! Great job L!"

X also started throwing in some awesome arm movements that I stole and started to incorporate into a few songs. In the next few weeks, I plan on giving him an opportunity to do some moves in front of the class and lead us. I think he will rise to the occasion!

Up until last week, I have been careful about my songs, and my choreography. I have been hesitatnt to throw any moves at them that are too fast or too complicated. But they were all so completely *ON*, I began to speed up my moves. And the stayed with me.

So, I decided to throw caution completely into the wind, and switched up my playlist. I put on Descarga de la Luz by Orquesta de La Luz. It is one of my favorite salsas - but it is fast, and over 6 minutes long.

Here is a live version of the song so you get an idea of what it sounds like

It was like these guys were born to salsa. They followed every move I threw at them. During the drums we all used our hands to shake and "play the drums". I would then just throw salsa moves at them.

They just get the formula. They can follow the pattern of the song and can just sense what comes next.

Since the song was so long, I also just gave them an opportunity to move and feel the music. The parents stood and watched, transfixed. They did not know their kids could move like that!

I had to fight back tears. I know - it's so silly. But to feel that electricity in the air during this was such a moving experience... I didn't want it to end!

They were all laughing, singing along - just being themselves.... to music.

One of the moms said her son is recognizing the music he hears in his class when he goes out in the community. He gets so excited when he hears the music!

The class went over a little, and some other students who come for special needs martial arts got to see a bit of the class, and were free to jump in. 2 young men jumped into the last 2 songs so easily!

It was so nice seeing them all again after 2 weeks. They make waking up early on a Saturday morning so worthwhile!!!

Motivating Each other!

This morning was my second class.

The students looked ready. They were there before I arrived! And they were smiling.

I reminded them to pick a spot on the floor, and we were ready to go.

Two of the students in my class need a little more direction - one has cochlear implants on top of his autism (I'll call him L), and one guy, who I'll call D (who I knew when he was little) needs reminders to focus and follow directions. I called their names a few times to remind them to watch, and gave them praise when they were following me.

By the second song, they were focused, smiling, and even adding some of their own "flair" to the choreography (an extra jump here, a clap there).

Another young man, who I'll call X, who is verbal and really enjoying Zumba already, took my lead. Throughout the class, he would see if one of these students was not following or looking at me, and call their names, reminding them to focus and watch!

All throughout the class, you can hear him praising them. "Great job L! D! Watch the teacher!!! Good job D!"

Not only was X participating, but he already is showing his leadership skills in class. He follows along beautifully, and laughs, whoops it up, and hollers throughout every song! But even more amazing was seeing how he cared for the other students, and pushed them to stay with the choreography every step of the way!

I noticed that L, who is a bit self-directed, was not always watching me, but seemed to be on the right step. I watched him to see what was happening. Turns out - he was watching the others around him - especially X. Later, when his mother complained he wasn't watching me, I explained that what L was doing really was ideal. He was watching and learning from his peers, which is ALWAYS the goal when teaching an individual with a disability - especially autism. People with autism tend to have difficulty imitating their friends and peers around them. To see L do this so easily is icing on the cake. An When I work with students outside of Zumba, getting them to imitate and follow their peers is a challenging feat. To see this happen effortlessly is worth it's weight in gold....

I was curious to see how the class would evolve week to week. While I knew I would see changes occur, I was not expecting to see them by week 2.

Last week, although the students were following along and seemed to enjoy the class based on the fact that they stayed with me for the entire hour, I really saw a difference in HOW they enjoyed it this week.

For starters, I saw them really follow the patterns (aka - the Zumba formula). They even anticipated what the next move was going to be before relying on my cue, which really impressed me. They also repeated to themselves some of the verbal cues I threw in, which helped them stay focused and follow a move that challenged them. They were more on the beat, and during a song where there were three steps and a clap in the choreography, they all fell in sync perfectly! To hear a class of students with disabilities completely on beat and in sync with each other is truly a magical experience!

Also.... They are starting to sing along to the music!!!!

I also really felt this week, I had friends with me. They were not just "students". I saw that I was able to make eye contact, give a nod, a smile, and it meant something to them. Not just because it was praise, but because they connected with me and wanted to join me in this experience.

The one young lady in the class, B, was beaming by the end of the class (last week - she just complained that she was sweaty!). And before I left, I saw her looking at me, still smiling. I waved goodbye to her, smiled, and told her again what an awesome job she did. She looked exactly how I felt.... Bursting with energy and joy.

My First Day!

I taught a special needs Zumba class this morning for the the first time.

Prior to this morning, I was a Board Certified Behavior Analyst who taught teachers about autism and developed curriculum and behavior plans for children with developmental delays and happened to teach Zumba on the side "just for fun".

Six months ago, I was asked if I would be interested in teaching Zumba to teenagers with special needs - mostly teens on the autism spectrum. I could not say no - it was too perfect.

This morning, I met my students. A beautiful young lady with nice manicured red nails. A quiet young man with Down Syndrome and autism who gave me a very serious look the entire class. 2 young men I met when they were boys, and had the opportunity to work with many years ago. A happy young man with cochlear implants. An 18 year old who was vocal and asked me some questions. The rest of the students were either nonverbal or had minimal language.

I did not bother explaining what Zumba was. The language would have made no sense to them. It would not be functional to stand there and talk.

I introduced myself and asked them their names. Some of the parents had to help with their greetings and names. I told each student to pick a spot, and turned on the music.

Usually, when I teach a skill, I have to allow for a block of time where the skill slowly emerges, and then plan ways to reinforce, fade the reinforcer, and generalize the skill.

This morning, I experienced something so unique... so different from my everyday experiences.

Each student watched me, did what I did, and even added their own flair. They all looked so serious, but a closer look revealed the joy they felt with each song.

And then - in the middle of the class, it happened. They started moving faster. More spontaneously. They began to woop. To smile......

This is not a population who participates to be polite. To avoid hurting someone's feelings. These guys are so honest, and so real. If they did not like it, they would leave - plain and simple. But they didn't!

Of course, I have a background in teaching, experience in working with special needs populations - but the most strategies that worked the best were:

Following the Zumba formula.

Not using any language - except for calling a student's name to watch me, or to praise him or her. I will use behavior specific language... "Great step, Brian!" "Nice arms, Gina!" but nothing else. I do not explain the formula. I do not explain the process. This is where I need to do more than say!

Big movements to make it easier for them to imitate me - nonverbal cueing must be big, and not occur too soon - they will do what I do, and I need to know when to cue to get them doing the move at the right time

Breaking steps down into halftime, and slowly fading to tempo when they are ready

I must keep the same position - preferably with my back to them so they can model exactly what I am doing. If I turn, they turn. If I walk over to a student, they will follow me. So I stay where I am, but interact with them with the mirror. They get it - they see me, hear me, and know when I am engaging them.

I interject humor and fun moves. They appreciate it!

I hope to be able to share more each week!!! I can't wait to watch this unfold!!!

I will share my playlist next blog entry. I hope to add activities, strategies, and other fun things to keep my guys with me every week!

At the end, I give them a high 5 and a smile. I let them know how awesome they are!