Gigi’s Playhouse

What a pleasure it was to be a last minute sub for the teen fit program at Gigi’s Playhouse, an achievement center for people with Down Syndrome. I sometimes see posts from instructors on various pilates pages asking for advice on training people with Down syndrome. After asking the parents if there are any medical conditions for which I need to modify for the individual, I followed the system. Eve Gentry’s pre pilates helped me to evaluate the group as a whole and develop a footprint of which classical exercises would be successful as well as beneficial. Following the order, skipping some exercises and adding props to others, kept the class flowing and helped me and the students stay focused.

My advice to those instructors working with clients who have Down syndrome is don’t treat them any differently than you would any other client. Teach to the individual, not to the preconceived perception of the disability.