Wii Would Like To Play...

Over the past year, in particular, we have been trying to help J - now 7 years old - to find some physical activities he enjoys. J, like many autistic people, has a limited range of foods that he eats. Though we do what we can to enhance the nutritional value of his diet, and we have employed numerous strategies to reduce the gag-reflex that accompanies so many different kinds of food, J simply does not, at this age, have an ideal diet. J's limited diet issues are exacerbated by another tendency, or characteristic, that it seems to me is also quite common amongst autistics, and that is that he prefers cerebral pursuits to physical activities. We recognize the importance of leading a healthful life in terms of impact on physical as well as emotional well-being, and have therefore been "signing up" J for a range of activities.

Over the past year, these activities have included Tee-ball. This was not a big hit (please ignore the obnoxious pun), though it is difficult to determine exactly why J never seemed to get into it. I can say that his younger brother, T, on the same team, also did not derive a lot of pleasure or interest from it. It may be an age thing. In the summer, we enrolled J in Tae Kwan Do. There, we definitely found something to his liking. The more individual nature of it, as well as the rigidity of the routines and the "demanding" nature of the instruction seems to really jibe with J's mentality. In the Fall, J joined a soccer team. This had mixed results - he enjoyed the practices due to some of the practice games we would play (i.e. Sharks and Minnows), but during games it was not uncommon for him to simply lie down in the middle of the action. The ultra-bright mornings were not ideal for him in terms of light sensitivity, and he could often be found during his "breaks" from action reading thick books in the foldup chair on the sideline instead of cheering his teammates on. Aside from these structured activities, J fully enjoys games like "Monster Tag" and wrestling with Daddy. And he loves a day at the beach, something we can do with regularity during the summer now that he is over his aversion to the movement of the waves. Surfing is definitely on the slate for the little grommet this summer (maybe Dad can learn a little too!). He also loves to swim in our pool, and has been involved in a therapeutic horsemanship program for over three years.
So at this point - at age 7 - J's physical activity and nutritional intake is a mixed-bag at best, and certainly could use some "catching up" to his pretty remarkable academic achievements.

Enter Wii Fit.

When I first read about the Wii Fit and its remarkable balance board, I knew it would be a perfect match for J and the way he derives enjoyment from his activities. As I write this blog, J and his two brothers are around the corner engaging with the Wii system and working up a good sweat doing it!

You see, the Wii Fit allows J - and everyone in the family - to create a Mii, which is a little on-screen mini-me of each of us. Once created, you step on the board and the system takes your height and weight and establishes a baseline BMI (body mass index). It also measures your overall balance and body posture. It then allows you to set short or long term fitness goals, specifically addressing the areas you would like.
Once you have completed the setup, it records your time spent in the "time bank", and also regularly re-weighs and tests balance, updating your progress vs. goals.
The player then picks aerobic (running, hula hoops), strength training, balance activities (ski slalom, ski long jump), and yoga for posture. The more you play, the more different games you unlock.
All of these features are precisely conducive to J's unique way of learning. First of all, it is engaging without being overly demanding from a social standpoint (unlike team sports). It is unforgivingly rigid in its repetitive nature - it behaves the same way each time. This avoids J's sometime-anxiety about variable things. It has clear, easy-to-understand goals, which play to J's learning style. It disguises physical activity in what seems more of a cerebral pursuit with the use of points, stars, levels of achievement, and gradual unlocking of new activities. Frankly, it is an ideal method for J to improve his physical fitness. Interestingly, since beginning this (at Christmas), J has expressed a higher level of interest in eating more healthfully (even though this does not overcome his extreme sensitivity to certain foods and the way they elicit his gag reflex).

I realize that not all autistic children or adults have would be able to play Wii Fit. I also realize that not all families or individuals can own or access one. But the bottom line is this: I can't recommend the Wii Fit highly enough for any individual who would like to help them self or a loved one to improve their physical well-being in a fun and positive way!