HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — If you can remember as a kid you needed an outlet to play. Well, a new gym just opened in Rocket City!
'We Rock the Spectrum Kid's Gym' caters to children with autism and special needs but welcomes all children to take part in the fun.
Vanessa and Joaquin Tucker are the co-owners of this Huntsville gym and they share why this place is so special to them.
"We have a son that's on the autism spectrum, and he has a lot of sensory needs and there just wasn't enough resources around town for us to bring him to other than therapy, that was a safe place. And our younger son, Vincent, wanted to go and play on sensory equipment as well," Vanessa Tucker said.
After doing research on how to bring a sensory center to Huntsville, the Tuckers' finally cut ribbon on their very own branch of the international franchise, 'We Rock the Spectrum Kid's Gym.'
"It felt overwhelming and just so, so great...We felt love," Vanessa Tucker said.
This gym holds several pieces of therapeutic equipment, "we have the Rockwall, we have the zip line, we have a trampoline, and they all stimulate some part of your senses and that is the key," Vanessa Tucker said.
Through this sensory-safe play, kids have the ability to develop physical strength and improve their cognitive learning.
"There have actually been some studies where kids have come in [to a We Rock the Spectrum Kid's Gym] and then a year or so later, they've developed even more where their speech is developed or their social aspect of communication with other kids is improving," Joaquin Tucker said.
The gym also has a calming room where kids can break away if it gets too loud. There are headphones and rocking chairs to help soothe the noise.
And the Tuckers' have lots of plans for this gym from open play to birthday parties and classes.
"It's not about Vanessa and myself. It's about being a bigger source for the community and providing a resource for all kids, not just kids on the spectrum," Joaquin Tucker said.