'Agricultural specialisterne': rural employment revolution for those with Autism

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David Geslak is a Chicago-based Autism fitness specialist and president of The Exercise Connection. Geslak also serves on the Board of Directors for the Autism Society of Illinois as the chairperson of the fundraising committee.

Though not a dad himself, Geslak has been a great source of support and encouragement to fathers of Autistic children. For example, Geslak established the Dad’s Track for the recently held 2012 AutismOne Conference. Geslak is also the Program Director for ‘Dad’s Night Out’. Here are the details for ‘Dad’s Night Out’ which was held as part of the Conference earlier this year in Chicago:

…DADS’ NIGHT OUT – Friday, May 25, 2012
“THANK YOU” TO THE EXERCISE CONNECTION FOR BEING A SPONSOR OF THIS EVENT!

7:15 pm – 9:45 pm
FREE to registered attendees!
Calling ALL Dads! Join your peers for the 2nd Annual Dad’s Night Out! *While the moms are at Spa Night walk over to Lucky Strike Lanes for your night. You will have 2 hours of bowling, billiards and food. *Of course there will be beer, you just have to pay for that!
This a tradition…YOU DESERVE IT! *Dads last year had a great time!
Remember this is a DAD’s ONLY event! *This is a great opportunity to connect with dad’s from across the country and get some much needed time to yourself!..

In late 2010, David Geslak went to Egypt, teaching the Exercise Connection Program to the ADVANCE Center in Cairo and presenting for the Arab Network for Autism. ADVANCE is the Egyptian Society for Developing Skills of Children with Special Needs…

…Within the last two months I have talked, taught and worked with parents and professionals affected by autism from Chicago, Cairo and Cincinnati. Yesterday, my second day in Egypt, Maadi specifically, I gave my first two presentations to the ADVANCE Center.
…For those 3+ hours I found myself talking slower and trying my best to communicate the importance of what I was teaching. I spoke of the philosophy of the Exercise Connection and tried to communicate that as what they were learning there was not a “cookie cutter” approach to this program or any program for the children. I wish it could be that easy. I told them, “You need to be able to do the exercises yourself, use the visuals for support for the children, have fun, play and you will be the leaders they need.”
I taught the physical assessment and they all practiced many things like, taking resting heart rate, blood pressure, circumference measurements and measuring height and weight. Today I will teach the movement patterns/exercises of the assessment.
I also had the pleasure of Mohamed to show me around Egypt… He was much like me. He works teaching the children exercise/sport and especially in the pool. He first started working with the children because they used to come to the beach where he worked. He started asking questions about why the children flapped their hand, etc. And now more than 5 years later he is dedicated his life to the children…
Oh yeah, one more thing…Chicago may be separated from Cincinnati by hundreds of miles and Cincinnati thousands from Cairo, the languages may not be alike and the clothing and customs very diverse, but the autism…it is the same. The cries that I heard throughout the school made me want to go and help. Watching the support workers comfort and guide the students was no different. Mom and dad came to pick up the children after school, with smiles on their faces, thankful to have a place for their child.
We are all in this together…
David…

Finally, David Geslak also developed a special recreation program for Giant Steps, a therapeutic school for children with Autism based in Lisle, Illinois…

…“We all want things to happen so fast and improve, not only with our children with autism but with ourselves and the individual goals we set for ourselves. But in children with autism it’s gonna take a little time, we’ve just got to be patient. But I’ve seen a lot of improvement in behavior change, and again that social interaction,” said Geslak.

(sources: http://www.autismone.org/Dads-Night-Out-Autismone-Conference-2012; http://www.autismone.org/content/chicago-cairo-cincinnati-egypt-day-2; School helps children with autism make ‘giant steps’ | abc7chicago.com)