Maritza Aguirre’s struggle started when her daughter Emily – now 13 – was diagnosed with autism at four years of age.

“We always struggled to find places to take her because she would behave differently to other children,” the mother of four said.

“It was really hard because people would always judge us because of her tantrums. The places we did go were crowded and people would stare and I didn’t feel comfortable taking her. We just wanted her to feel like any other child and not feel alone.

“We have always wanted to open a business to help children with special needs and their families… somewhere where they feel like they belong. Finally a place where you never have to say I’m sorry.”

And now she has. Maritza and husband Luis are the owners of We Rock the Spectrum – Sydney West which is located in Wetherill Park. It’s the first one in Sydney.

Officially opened in May, the gym provides sensory-safe play for kids with autism, special needs and neurotypical development.

As an NDIS registered provider, they have been open for private sessions and respite for individual families during COVID-19 restrictions.

The equipment, which includes swings, trampoline and a zipline, is specifically designed to work with many of the sensory processing issues that children on the spectrum face.

“We Rock the Spectrum operates like a play centre where children of all abilities can come in play and it’s a great place for other parents to meet each other,” the Edensor Park resident said.

“Places like this are very important because kids with special needs feel different. So when you take them somewhere public, especially kids with autism, you can’t tell that there’s something wrong with them. So people always say what’s wrong with that kid? Having a place like this is going to help them feel that they have somewhere where they can be themselves and they feel welcome.”

READ ARTICLE

Maritza Aguirre’s struggle started when her daughter Emily – now 13 – was diagnosed with autism at four years of age.

“We always struggled to find places to take her because she would behave differently to other children,” the mother of four said.

“It was really hard because people would always judge us because of her tantrums. The places we did go were crowded and people would stare and I didn’t feel comfortable taking her. We just wanted her to feel like any other child and not feel alone.

“We have always wanted to open a business to help children with special needs and their families… somewhere where they feel like they belong. Finally a place where you never have to say I’m sorry.”

And now she has. Maritza and husband Luis are the owners of We Rock the Spectrum – Sydney West which is located in Wetherill Park. It’s the first one in Sydney.

Officially opened in May, the gym provides sensory-safe play for kids with autism, special needs and neurotypical development.

As an NDIS registered provider, they have been open for private sessions and respite for individual families during COVID-19 restrictions.

The equipment, which includes swings, trampoline and a zipline, is specifically designed to work with many of the sensory processing issues that children on the spectrum face.

“We Rock the Spectrum operates like a play centre where children of all abilities can come in play and it’s a great place for other parents to meet each other,” the Edensor Park resident said.

“Places like this are very important because kids with special needs feel different. So when you take them somewhere public, especially kids with autism, you can’t tell that there’s something wrong with them. So people always say what’s wrong with that kid? Having a place like this is going to help them feel that they have somewhere where they can be themselves and they feel welcome.”

READ ARTICLE

We Rock the Spectrum Kids Gym, an international children’s gym franchise, is opening four new facilities over the next month.

The unveiling of the four sites in Sydney West, Geelong, Moorabbin and Wollongong despite the impact of COVID-19 is testament to the business concept.

We Rock the Spectrum is a franchise that provides sensory-safe play for kids with autism, special needs, and neurotypical development. Each gym features therapeutic equipment and sensory beneficial play opportunities.

Equipment is specifically designed for children on the spectrum, while providing all children with the sensory experience necessary for improved learning and neurological development.

The brand originated in California when mum, Dina Kimmel, CEO and founder of We Rock the Spectrum, created a safe place where both her daughter and her autistic son could go together.

We Rock the Spectrum opens four gyms

This concept caught the attention of a group of mums of special needs kids in Australia. Melbourne parent Sally Johnson knew first hand the pain of having an autistic child feel excluded from play areas.

Sally and her brother Marcus opened up the first We Rock the Spectrum gym in Australia, in Preston, Victoria.

Sally said “Almost from day dot we started receiving calls and emails asking when gyms were coming to more communities across Australia. This is now happening with the most fabulous group of special needs mums!

“The gyms are more needed now than ever and we have modified programs and strict COVID specific practices in place.’”

The group will continue the success seen at We Rock the Spectrum’s first Aussie outlet by providing NDIS Registered sensory-beneficial play spaces for inclusive play, respite, therapeutic supports, parties, all abilities classes and group activities.

Sally’s expansion plan is to have 30 gyms and five mobile gyms up and running around Australia over the next three years.

READ ARTICLE

Purpose-built inclusion franchise We Rock the Spectrum is set to roll out a Aussie-first mobile gym model across the country later this year.

Similar to a regular studio, the We Rock the Spectrum mobile gym will be equipped with purpose-designed apparatus aimed at improving sensory development in children with special needs.

The new format is a welcomed boost for communities lacking the physical means to introduce a bricks and mortar studio, offering further representation for the expanding global operation.

Sally Johnson, Australian master franchisee suggested the while We Rock on Wheels concept will better serve regional communities, it wasn’t the only benefit of the model.

“The We Rock on Wheels model caters to a more regional market, however it can also supplement the existing business,” Johnson told Inside Franchise Business.

“We do a lot of family-fun days, fetes and school incursions, but to set-up the sensory activities takes time. To be able to swing in with a bus, it’s exciting for us and the community. It won’t just be regional areas, but it makes sense, particularly in regions that may not be able to justify a bricks and mortar option.”

We Rock the Spectrum mobile gym

It’s been a massive two years for the US-born franchise. Since arriving in Australia, We Rock the Spectrum has experienced significant growth, with four new gyms set to open later this year.

“Both our new Sydney and Geelong gyms will be opening in 2020, with our Moorabbin, VIC and Wollongong, NSW gyms to follow,” Johnson said.

However, despite the growth across South-East Australia, all eyes are firmly on the new We Rock the Spectrum mobile gym concept. In addition to adding an increase in support for in-need communities, the offer is also a major boost for interested franchisees, with Johnson revealing the new model is likely to be significantly cheaper.

“We are currently in project management to launch our first bus in Australia. We are excited to offer this lower cost franchise option for communities,” she said.

“We understand that it’s not always easy for families to visit our gyms regularly – this way there is an option for us to visit them.”

The We Rock on Wheels mobile gym concept is currently being rolled out in the US, with Johnson confident to see the innovative new model Down Under this year.

Read original article.

Less than one year after launching in Australia, specialised gym franchise We Rock the Spectrum is making good on its promise to help special needs children across the country.

At the brand’s inaugural Team Australia conference, We Rock the Spectrum welcomed four new owners to the mix. The new operators will steer expansion across New South Wales and Victoria, with all gyms expected to open before year’s end.

The purpose-built centres incorporate specialised equipment such as slides, swings and zip-lines. All activities are aimed at aiding sensory and motor-skill development of children with processing disorders.

Sally Johnson is the Australian master franchisee who launched the model last year. The Victorian mum said the community support she has received has been truly inspiring.

“We’ve been so thrilled first off from a base level with the support from the local community with all of the things that we had hoped would happen in our single gym,” Johnson told Inside Franchise Business.

“We have a great mix of mainstream families and families with a special needs child. It’s been fantastic to see them learning from each other.”

Johnson revealed that since the Sydney West gym opened, she had been inundated with franchise enquiries.

“We had close to 200 enquiries come in. Nobody expected that, and what’s more, they were all amazing quality,” she said.

“They are coming from far-away places as well, perfectly positioned around the country. From Katherine to Margaret River, not places we’d put on our map.”

We Rock the Spectrum expansion

The latest four signings see We Rock the Spectrum unveil three sites in Victoria, at Geelong, Ringwood and Darebin, with New South Wales expansion in Wollongong and Western Sydney to follow.

“These were chosen as the initial round for a number of reasons, namely as they were people who stood out as ready to go, but also because they were in territories we knew would be successful and that had a real need,” Johnson said.

Johnson herself knows the importance of community programs and specialised businesses like this. Her son Digby was diagnosed with Autism and ADHD at age two, and she revealed a number of the new owners shared similar stories.

“We’ve seen interest from other families to open in their local communities. To be able to join with other passionate families who have their own history or experience in the sector has been really successful already,” she said.

Dina Kimmel, We Rock the Spectrum founder was there at the Team Australia conference and said she was humbled to see the impact her business had made on the Australian public.

“We have already boarded four new owners, we weren’t expecting to open past two, so it’s been a tremendous response,” Kimmel said.

“At the end of the day, I am simply a wife and mother of a child with autism who was inspired to create this model because we had nowhere else to go. Just talking to all of customers and the community both here and overseas is just gratifying beyond belief.”

A purpose-built gym designed for children with special needs, with customised equipment including slides, swings and ziplines has opened in the Melbourne suburb of Sydney West.

Equipment in the Australian-first gym, We Rock The Spectrum, a franchise of the USA brand, has been designed by occupational therapists with the aim of aiding the sensory development of children with processing disorders, while providing additional motor skill development.

Local mother, Sally Johnson and master franchisor behind the Sydney West opening and was inspired to bring the concept to Australia after seeing the benefits first-hand.

She explained “within my own special needs community, I see the desire families have to connect with one another.

“I also see how great families feel when they know their children are benefiting from activities that help them regulate their sensory needs, while having fun.”

Johnson’s son Digby was diagnosed with Autism and ADHD at age two, and the pair struggled to find play centres where he felt included.

After learning about the We Rock The Spectrum model, Johnson traveled to the USA to see the gyms for herself, meeting with founder Dina Kimmel, who shares a familiar story.

Kimmel developed the specialised concept in 2010 after her two year old son, Gabriel was diagnosed with Autism, allowing families with special needs children to engage in sensory-beneficial activities.

Now in its fourth year of franchising, We Rock The Spectrum has over 70 locations across the globe, with the Sydney West opening marking the third international franchise and first for Australia.

While franchising some sectors of the fitness industry is seen as reaching saturation, the We Rock The Spectrum model caters to a traditionally under-represented market.

According to a recent study from AMAZE, Victoria’s peak body for Autism Spectrum Disorder, only 4% of autistic Australians feel their community knows how to properly support them.

For more information www.werockthespectrumkidsgym.com and www.werockthespectrumaustralia.com/

Louise Larkin was driving to work in Melbourne when she heard a little boy’s mother on the radio talking about how no one had showed up to his sixth birthday party.

The 34-year-old was so heartbroken by Logan Camilleri’s story that she decided to throw a celebration for all lonely and isolated children in her community to encourage social inclusion.

Three years later and Mrs Larkin is preparing to host the third ‘Friend In Me’ party at Seaworks Maritime Precinct, Williamstown, with interpreters and ‘sensory rooms’ available for deaf and autistic children.

Her message is simple – no child should be left behind.

Louise Larkin (left) was driving to work in 2016 when she heard Logan Camilleri’s (right) mother on FOX FM radio. Logan has spina bifida, a birth defect resulting in spinal cord problems

Logan (pictured), who has spina bifida, was gifted an incredible birthday party of his own when he turned seven, with radio station FOX FM organising Transformers, celebrities and jumping castles for the young boy

‘I only had my daughter Giselle then [she now has three-month-old Florence too] and I just kept thinking “Imagine if that was my child feeling left out? How would she feel?”,’ she told FEMAIL.

‘It was really sad for his mother as well. So I reached out to my contacts in mother’s groups on Facebook and put together a party for kids in our area. There were 350 people there.

‘We doubled that number last year and hope to reach more than 1,000 people this time around.’

Australia’s first open to the public, indoor play gym for children with sensory disorders has officially opened its doors in Sydney West, Melbourne.

Taking your kids to the park or a play centre poses challenges for many families that others are unaware of. One of my own children struggled with loud noises until he was four. A loud speaker, party whistle, even a busker would make him anxious so we modified where we went and what we did in those first years. Anxiety is something parents of kids who struggle with social skills often experience taking their kids to a playground. I once had a single dad as a patient tell me that he had stopped taking his son with autism to the local playground because any time he went another parent would pick a fight with him about his son’s challenging behaviour. I wish We Rock the Spectrum had been around then because I’m sure it would have become his safe haven.

We Rock the Spectrum is an all abilities children gym that opened this weekend in Melbourne (Sydney West).  The gym is a safe and fun place space for ALL children.   As we enter We Rock the Spectrum the first thing I notice is a sign that says “Finally a place where you don’t have to say I’m sorry”.  A really simple statement I know, but one that will bring a sigh of relief to parents of special needs kids.  The gym is suitable for children from babies to kids aged 12.    The brilliance of We Rock the Spectrum hinges on a a few key features – overt inclusion of children and families who have kids with special needs, a high children to helper ration – there are many appropriately trained adult staff on hand to assist children use the gym equipment (designed with occupational therapy input) and support parents if challenging behaviours occur.  The presence of a quiet room is a bonus.  Children prone to sensory overstimulation can retreat to a quiet space with low lighting when needed.

Read More Here

Digby, now 7, is on the autism spectrum and finds it hard to deal with the sensory overload he experiences in many public spaces.

“I started to retreat from the community, which was lonely for us but also for him,” Ms Johnson said.

“It was a very difficult time for me because I’m very social.

I thought [parenting] would be much different than it turned out to be, especially in the early days.

Ms Johnson used to dream of a place where her eldest child was understood and where he felt comfortable enough to socialise and play with his younger sister Clementine.

But with no indoor play centres catering to children with autism in Melbourne she had to take things into her own hands.

Together with her brother Marcus, Ms Johnson has just opened Australia’s first indoor play centre designed specifically for children on the autism spectrum.

Read More Here