What should gym managers/coaches know about autism spectrum?

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I'm writing up a document that could be given to gym managers or coach types since there's lots for kids but practically nothing for adults. What kind of information/tips for working with people on the spectrum would you want in a handout to give them? Or would you not disclose at all?

Sensory issues. Gyms can be noisy places with a lot of reverberation. Since the walls and floors are unpadded, the noise often feels harsh, unpleasant. It's kind of like a grocery store in that regard.

And gyms and athletics are also places of bullying. I don't know if I'd want that in a form because it might make it seem like I'm particularly a target of bullying.

To point out 'social norms' of being a 'good gym member' that aspies might not pick up on.

Like it's polite to bring a towel to cover the machines with so they don't end up covered in your sweat for the next person or if you are taking a rest between sets it's polite to not sit on the machine for five minutes not using it.

Most aspies actually want to fit in and will attempt to do so if they are able to do so. It is probably a bad idea to say 'this a rule' or the aspie may well then be annoyed that other people ignore this 'rule' and start pointing all occurrences of that happening to you like an annoying and pedantic child would.


Second thing is be patient and attempt to understand what they are attempting to communicate to you.

My experience last year after being sent to a physio.

First meeting I get ignored, interrupted talked over and talked down to.
3 months later - no progress sent back to consultant
Have a meltdown at consultant, consultant refers me to another consultant who operated on me a decade ago.
Consultant 2 refers me to new physio
Physio 2 ignores me, interrupts me, talks over me and talks down to me.
3 months later no progress
Physio 2 talks to me
2 weeks after we change regime improvement starts to happen

The annoying thing is I knew exactly what I needed to do but just couldn't communicate to the medical professionals so I end up spending almost a year on crutches simply because of this communication problem.

I don't know really, my gym seems to be pretty cool with me. Or maybe they just think I'm a psycho who's happily oblivious to everything around him ever, and just are too afraid to tell me I'm weird. Like one staff guy (not a trainer, just a janitor kinda person) used to joke I was weird, then I started squatting and OL lifting, and he seemed to shut up after that.

I guess the main thing would be, to just...allow the people their space? If that makes sense? Like a little talking and whatever is OK, but like, when I go to the gym, I have set things in mind I wanna do, they're usually NOT what everyone else is doing, so it makes me look weird (ie, random dude in jeans boxjumping while other guys in said area are in workout clothes doing bicep curls.) Basically, tell them to just not mind the weirdness. As for wiping down the machines, there's signs in the gym telling you to do that where I am, so it's not an unwritten magical social rule, or anything like that.

But I think the main thing is "leave them alone." Written rules, too. If, let's say, jeans aren't allowed, then make sure to write that on a sign in the gym. Don't just make it like "You can't wear jeans because it's weird" without it being a written actual rule of the gym. Stuff like that.

As far as trainers go, one thing they should try to do, generally an Aspie isn't looking for a rent-a-friend for a trainer. It should really be "all business" when you're with a trainer. That, and at least in my case, when trainers tell me stuff, I want a logical reasoning behind it, in some ways this can be construed as me being like, a knowitall, but it's really just me wanting to know "why" something is the way it is.

That, and sometimes, I think this is more in general, but maybe it could affect an Aspie more or less, but people like doing some things and don't like doing others. Like for me, I could not get into weight lifting from the bodybuilding perspective most trainers and people like, but once I tried it from the powerlifting sorta perspective, I basically fell in love with it. Strength was my goal, again, it's not entirely an Aspie/NT thing, but trainers in general I think give people in general cookiecutter routines without taking into account the clients actual wishes, exercises they like, etc.

Don't know if this is entirely helpful, but yeah.

The other thing too, as far as training an Aspie goes, at least in my case, I got an advantage in that regard. If I see a real tangible goal in sight, I'll train forever. A lot of Aspies, if they get "obsessed" with something, or it becomes a special interest, they'll put lots of practice time into something, or learn a ton about it, or usually both. So in some regards, if you can can channel the "aspie"ness as a coach, then the Aspie could be a like, wonderful person to train. This mostly applies to individual sports, though. Team sports, it's a team, so regardless of how good you are, you gotta be able to cooperate with the team, nonverbal cues, etc. But, in individual sports, it's my opinion that a lot of Aspies have a high chance of being able to get good at them, if they're just given the resources to pursue the sport and the amount of practice time needed.

This might be more useful for kids/young adults than adults, though.

One thing too, not really related to that, but I like, refuse to set foot in a Crossfit. I mean, I think the exercises they do are sweet, I like the concept exercise wise, but the fact it's in a group setting the way it is makes me wanna barf. http://blog.skyvisioncenters.com/?p=769 I'll quote this guy here...

Baseball is an example of an individual sport in a team context.

I'm by no means qualified to say, but I can indeed say that any type of gym class has the potential to be HELL for anyone on the Spectrum. I was able to evade it all through school, but that was before it became law for all school students (at least in California) to have at least a few years of gym class.

First, I'd definitely disclose the autism to the coach, and I would urge him/her to do enough reading and studying to understand how to include the student on the Spectrum without causing them pain, and most importantly, without ridiculing them in front of the rest of the class, which sadly is a common practice among coaches in my experience. They'll say something like "What are you; stupid? ret*d? How could ANYONE not be able to do (x) ?" That attitude or method of influence might work in the NT world or in the Marines, but it will railroad an Autistic student directly to failure.

Charles