Gym targets kids with special needs – The Intelligencer

We Rock the Spectrum, a new children’s gym that serves kids with autism and special needs, will be holding a grand opening celebration from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on June 24.

The event is open to the public, and families with children from all walks of life are invited to attend.  Admission is $12 per child, and 20 percent of the proceeds will go to the My Brother Rocks the Spectrum Foundation.

Jennifer Range, the owner of the new We Rock the Spectrum, located at 1015 Century Drive in Edwardsville, has been a special education teacher for the past 12 years at Edwardsville High School.  Together with her husband, Mike, they have four children – James, Scott, Joseph, and Brigid.

Their second child Scott, who is now 23, was first diagnosed with autism just before his third birthday.  He had been attending a program in Mascoutah three days a week which Jennifer pointed out is a program parents pay for in Illinois.  “In Illinois there’s not a lot of opportunities for adults with disabilities,” Jennifer said.

Since there’s also not a lot of funding in Illinois for parents of children who have disabilities, Jennifer was always seeking options and opportunities for Scott.  That’s when We Rock the Spectrum entered the picture.

Read More Here