For the second year in a row, Work It Out Fitness Studios is teaming up with Wallace Elementary School to host a fundraiser for the Global Autism Project and Wallace’s Applied Behavior Analysis program. The specialized school-within-a-school educates 30 children between the ages of three and nine with autism spectrum disorders, and has been recognized statewide for its quality.
On Sunday, March 29, Work It Out will host the Second Annual Ride for a Cause, two hour-long charity rides on its spinning machines coached and led by instructor Sheillah Dallara, whose five-year-old son Alexander is enrolled in the Wallace ABA program. The sessions will take place at noon to 1 p.m., and all of the $50 entry fee will go to the named charity recipients.
The event will take place at Work It Out’s River Studio at 5 Marine View Plaza.
“Finding ways to support the community where our members work, live and play is our priority,” said Noël Fiorentinos, founder of Work it Out Fitness Studios. “By partnering with Wallace Elementary to raise funds for its autism program, we are able to give back to the community that we’ve been proud to call home for the past five years.”
Last year’s Ride for a Cause event raised nearly $3,000, and this year’s event is expected to raise even more.
Unique program
The Wallace ABA program came to statewide attention last year when one of its teachers, Mark Mautone, was selected as the New Jersey Teacher of the Year. Mautone received plaudits for his use of new technology, even developing his own iPad apps to use in the classroom, but he will be the first to tell you that the technology is merely a tool in the service of the overarching pedagogy.
Special Education Teacher Michelle Zube, one of the three teachers in the Wallace program, said Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) is the only scientifically-validated autism therapy currently available.
“He’s even eating quinoa now!” – Sheillah Dallara
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Thus, if a child in the Wallace program completes a task like categorizing objects based on multiple characteristics, they are rewarded with something they enjoy, like playtime with toys or blocks.
The ABA program does not draw the line at learning difficulties either. In close collaboration with the parents of the students, its therapies extend to things like potty training, feeding, and dressing, all of which can be difficult for children with autism.
Each student in the Wallace program has their own Individualized Education Program. In support of the three core teachers, each classroom in the ABA program has four aides, and the whole program is supported by a social worker, school psychologist, and Learning Disabilities Teacher Consultant.
Real results
Dallara has nothing but good things to say about the Wallace ABA program and what it has done for her 5-year-old Alexander. When he entered the program at the age of three, she said, Alexander had a vocabulary of 20 words, frequent tantrums, and was only willing to eat an extremely limited selection of foods.
After two years, said Dallara, he can carry on a conversation and has seen a marked decrease in tantrum episodes. “He’s even eating quinoa now!” she said.
Dallara said the Wallace ABA program is crucial because it is the only publically-funded option for autistic children over the age of three in Hoboken. According to the Centers for Disease Control, 1 in 45 children and 1 in 28 boys in New Jersey have autism, the highest prevalence of the disorder in any U.S. state.
Where the money will go
The money raised this coming Saturday will go towards fully stocking a curricular room for the ABA program. The Autism Curriculum Encyclopedia (ACE) that the Wallace teachers rely on has over 1,000 specific programs for use with autistic children, which requires a huge amount of specialized materials.
With the publically-funded budget for the Wallace ABA program already stretched, said Zube, private donations are necessary to build out a curricular room.
The Ride for a Cause event will also fund Zube’s upcoming journey to Indonesia, organized through the Global Autism Project, where she will train volunteers at an autism center in Jakarta in the ABA program.
Registration for the Second Annual Ride for a Cause can be done online at workitoutgym.com. If an individual can’t make it to the event on March 29 but still wants to help the Wallace ABA program, they can call Work It Out Give at (201) 222-0802 or (201) 710-5458 or email info@workitoutgym.com and donate separately.
Carlo Davis may be reached at cdavis@hudsonreporter.com.