Heartbeat Studios Helps Autistic Students 'Relax and Move'

When Deborah Gee-Tritschler takes her son, Devin Flagg, to music or dance performances, he usually doesn’t enjoy them—the sound is too loud, the lights too bright. Often, he'll have to wear ear plugs.

Flagg, who takes classes at Dakota County Technical College, has autism, a developmental disorder that can affect how social and communication skills develop; it can cause sensitivity to light and sound, as well as notable stress when a routine is changed, among other symptoms.

“I wanted him to finally enjoy the arts,” Gee-Tritschler said, but there seemed to be few ways he could do so.

So, she proposed a new type of movement class to Deborah Lysholm, the owner of Heartbeat Studio in Apple Valley, where Gee-Tritschler’s daughter takes classes.

Now, Flagg is doing things like yoga and hip-hop dance, as well as developing body awareness and becoming more confident, his mom says. He began attending Heartbeat’s Relax and Move With ASD class, designed specifically for students with Autism Spectrum Disorders, this past summer.

“I never thought that hip-hop and Devin would be in the same room,” Gee-Tritschler said.

Relax and Move

The Relax and Move class had four participants during its six-week summer pilot session, and instructor Stephany Himrich has continued as one of the instructors this fall.

Himrich not only teaches dance, but has a degree in psychology. She used researched mind and body techniques to develop a class that “has its own special feel,” Lysholm said.

During part of the class, students work on tensing and relaxing different parts of the body to relieve stress, a technique they can also use on their own if they feel stress building, Himrich said.

Next, they do yoga poses, which helps with flexibility and breathing. They finish the class with a hip-hop routine—the music volume is just turned down lower.

Using the right type of communication during class also is important. Himrich said she slows down and tries to communicate in a way that will make the most sense to the students; people speak in idioms daily, but people with autism tend to take statements literally.

Liza Robson’s 11-year-old son, Matthias Robson, took the class this summer.

“There’s not a lot out there” in terms of dance or movement activities for kids with autism, Robson said; Lysholm said even physicians she’s talked to are excited about the class.

Many times, the only physical activity professionals will suggest is physical therapy, Robson said, but parents are “craving” another option for their kids.

“They need the fun,” she said.

Robson thought her son would love the hip-hop dance element, but surprisingly it was the yoga he really enjoyed.

“He had a ball,” she said.

The first summer class was small, but to parents and Himrich, that was helpful because Himrich could give more individual attention.

Parents also stayed and observed each class, so they got a feel for the dynamic.

“We had our own audience,” Flagg said.

Making It Work

Parents saw their kids enjoy the Relax and Move activities each week, but another result of the class is evident just in the way Flagg holds himself, his mom said.

“He’s standing up a lot taller than he used to,” she said, and working muscles he didn’t know he had.

“I thought it was an awesome class,” she said; she’s thankful to Lysholm for “taking a risk with this.”

But there are benefits for staff, too—they have fun and see the students grow.

“I would always leave the class feeling really energized,” Himrich said.

Himrich’s goal for the fall session is to incorporate more communication-skills practice—working on eye contact, asking questions, simulating real-life situations they might encounter.

Lysholm also is looking to expand the studio to create a quieter room for this class, as well as singing and acting classes, she said.

“All of us have a unique interest in making this work,” she said.