Slidell woman begins offering special needs exercise classes
By KEVIN CHIRI
Slidell news bureau
SLIDELL – When Bernadette Lala and her husband learned their son Sebastian had Autism, they were like many families who began a long and difficult struggle to get the help they needed.
“It was so hard to find the right help for Sebastian’s specific situation,” his mother said. “And when you find the help, it isn’t cheap
Those with Autism fall anywhere on what is called “the spectrum,” meaning the severity of the condition can be very mild to severe. She called Sebastian a young boy with “moderate” conditions, yet he still did not speak when he began school at the age of 6.
Bernadette and her husband ended up going around the country to find someone to work with their son, and finally did so with an Atlanta, GA, therapist who helped their son begin to speak.
Sebastian is now 12 years old and Bernadette has found a way to offer a level of help to other parents with Autistic children. She has begun an exercise class called “Able Fit” for special needs individuals, holding it at the Slidell Anytime Fitness located at 544 Robert Boulevard.
After studying Autism over the years trying to help her son, she discovered certain exercises that actually help Autistic children with their motor skills and other symptoms.
“In Autistic kids the left frontal lob of the brain is going at 100 mph, while the left side is the part that helps with sensory aspects like speech and other things,” she said. “They found that some body movements turn the left side on more and slow down the right side—which is what you want to help an Autistic child.”
She leads the kids in what she calls “criss cross exercises that cross the midline in the body. It slows down the right side of the brain and activates the left side to operate.”
The classes only began two months ago with limited publicity, but there are now 10 kids and four adults, including some of the STARC clients. Classes are held Monday through Friday in the morning, and you can put an individual in a group class or in a private class.
“The challenges are to pair those together at the same levels,” she said. “But we’re getting there and most of the kids can’t wait to come to class each week.”
Bernadette was a flight attendant for eight years before meeting her husband, who happened to be a pilot.
“But no, we didn’t meet the way everyone thinks,” she said with a laugh.
The couple has been married 25 years and had their first child, Sebastian, 12 years ago.
When they learned he was Autistic they found it a challenge to enroll him in a school that would help. There are few around, but they found one in a New Orleans Catholic school, which means making 10 trips a week to drive him to school in the morning, then pick him up each afternoon.
Bernadette and her husband were the original founders of Creole Bagelry in Slidell, then sold the business in 2014 so she could focus full time as a stay-at-a-home-mom for their son.
“When we saw he wasn’t speaking we went all over the country trying to find a speech therapist who could help,” she said. “We went to Arizona, Kentucky and finally found someone in Atlanta who was able to get him to start talking.
“We were fortunate since God has blessed us with good fortune and we had the money to do that,” she said. “But not everyone does and that’s why we know how difficult it can be with an Autistic child. That’s why I started these classes, to give something back to help other families.”
The classes do have a fee, but for Lala, it is her way of using her years of fitness to do something for others.
“I have always volunteered with every group I know that supports Autism,” she said. “This class came about since I had prayed for God to show me an avenue to give to others.”
In the world of Autistic parents, those who have been dealing with it for years try to help others.
“I try to mentor other parents since it can be so overwhelming to have a child with Autism, especially depending where they are on the spectrum,” she added. “But then the idea of doing exercise classes came to me and I am happy to help these kids. They really need an outlet like this and besides, it gives the parents one hour of free time for a break.”
The name “Able Fit” came about since she said, “we see the able in these kids, not the label.”
Anyone interested in information on the classes can call Bernadette at 985-788-5252.