For Julie Jaeger’s autistic son, the first time he interacted with his younger brother was not at home, but at a unique gym, called Great Play, that incorporates the latest in motor-skill development in an interactive, fun and educational environment.

“It’s happened there three times, where my son would stop what he was doing and come across the room and pick up a bottle for his baby brother and put it back in his mouth,” says Jaeger of Chandler, Ariz. “Other than at the gym when he’s at the peak of awareness, I have never seen my son notice his brother or interact with him in a major way before.”

Jaeger credits the distinctive curriculum of Great Play for her son’s achievement. So does Lisa Fuller, OT, who sees Jaeger’s son once a week at home. “During and after being at Great Play, he has a heightened awareness and participation level,” says Fuller, with Desert Valley Pediatric Therapy in Phoenix. “It definitely supplements the work that I’m doing with him.”

Distinctive Offerings

Great Play has reevaluated the traditional play environment to create a different experience for children. The company was started in 2006 by Jyl and Keith Camhi, whose son had low muscle tone, impaired balance and some sensory issues. The couple looked for a gym where their son could get more physical exercise in a structured environment, but were disappointed in the outdated and single-activity programs.

The couple decided to create a new type of gym that includes a greater range of activities that are varied enough to address motor-skill development and provide general physical education. The Camhis consulted a few OTs when developing the program, but mainly developed it on their own after reading a number of books and articles. Great Play is a franchised gym with six locations, which have quickly drawn the attention of the OT community. The facilities are mostly run by staff with backgrounds in early-childhood or physical education.

“To the kids, it’s all fun and games, but behind the fun we have developed a carefully crafted curriculum of progressive motor skill activities that help children reach their full physical and athletic potential,” Jyl Camhi says. “The curriculum incorporates locomotor and manipulative activities to help younger children develop, for instance, muscle tone and upper body strength, and there’s also many stability activities because many children who require OT, and even those who don’t, usually have balance issues.”

When Fuller first visited Great Play in Phoenix, she noticed the facility’s large video wall, which is similar to a Wii game in that children interact with the screen. “A lot of kids who I work with have autism and are very motivated by the visual images shown on these screens,” Fuller says.

The program’s vestibular activities also stood out to Fuller. There is a circular swing with which the children have fun while helping to build their spatial awareness. The child lies on his or her abdomen on the swing and is asked to do different things while the swing is moving. For instance, he or she may be expected to take an item and throw it in a bucket, or pick up an item on the left side and drop it off on the right side.

“This activity not only develops torso strength, but it really works on the child’s vestibular sense because they move while they do it, and works their cross-lateral abilities,” Camhi says.

There is a balance beam in the facility that is adjusted for the child’s age, level and experience. For children who have better balance than others, bean bags are placed on the beam, and the children have to step over the bags. “But for children who need more assistance and have less balance, then we’ll simplify it by putting one bean bag on it that they have to step over, or no bean bags, or put their hands out like an airplane,” Camhi says.

Sensorial Experience

Great Play has integrated several sensory activities into its program and created sensorial centers. At the facilities, a number of different tactile materials will be laid out. The materials may include cellophane, Velcro and necklaces, among many others. “More and more we are hearing from parents and OTs about children who are sensitive to tactile surfaces,” Camhi says. “We focus on auditory and visual sensory experiences through different tactile surfaces through their hands, legs and feet.”

Other types of sensory experiences include bubbles that float from the ceiling to help work on body and spatial awareness. Children are given buckets to catch the bubbles.

These types of activities are especially helpful for children with developmental issues. Fuller has noticed that some of her clients with autism will play alone and not pay attention to any other children. But after going a few times, they slowly start to watch the group — even if standing far away. “Sometimes I’ll notice that these children will start to participate, but from a distance. When the group starts singing a song these children will sometimes sing and do the hand motions. The Great Play staff is very good about allowing children to do everything at their own pace.”

Therapy Reinforcement

For Fuller, who only provides therapy in people’s homes, Great Play serves an important role in supplementing her work. “When you don’t have a sensory room to carry with you to each person’s house, this place sort of serves as a sensory room like you would have at a clinic,” she says. “It’s an important way for children to get a little more sensory input throughout the week.”

Camhi says one of the benefits of Great Play is that the activities reinforce the work of OTs. “Our place is for all kids, but for those kids who need OT, our activities can supplement the work an OT is doing,” she says. “Many children who see an OT need it more than once a week, but because insurance only covers a small number of visits, we often have many OTs who refer their patients to us to add to what they are already doing.”

Great Play (greatplay.com) is expanding across the country and is located in the following cities: Chandler, Ariz.; Stamford, Conn.; Johns Creek (Atlanta), Ga.; Scarsdale, N.Y.; Redmond, Wash.; and Seattle Northshore, Wash. Four more are slated to open in Fredericksburg, Va.; Sugar Land (Houston), Texas; Cypress, Texas; and Denver. •

Paul Wynn is a freelance writer.