Puzzle Piece Athletics offers one-on-one fitness for neurodivergent kids and teens, helping build strength, coordination, confidence and social skills.
Fitness is a key part of health for all of us, and forming good habits that include exercise and cardio – along with healthy heating – are especially important for our children because studies show those habits often stay with them into adulthood.
For neurodiverse children, fitness often helps them feel part of a group and builds social skills, as well as a love of sport.
We have a number of fitness programs in our community, and we recently connected with the team at Puzzle Piece Athletics, which opened a location in Santa Monica after more than nine years in Northern California. We asked Chad Hooker, founder and CEO, to tell us about their program.
L.A. Parent: Where did the name Puzzle Piece Athletics come from?
PPA: I wanted the name to represent inclusion, belonging, individuality and the belief that there is a place for everyone in athletics. I chose the name Puzzle Piece Athletics because I believe that every individual has the potential to conquer any fitness goal, it’s just a matter of fitting all the puzzle pieces together for each individual athlete. When I was working as a CrossFit trainer (for adults) and a CrossFit kids head coach, a client mentioned that a friend of hers was looking for personal training for their son, who was neurodivergent, and asked if I would be interested. I said I would give it a try. We immediately connected, and I worked with this client for several years. Every day, he showed up ready to work and I watched him progress during every single session. I quickly figured out that he liked to communicate by spelling things out, so that’s how our sessions would go – keeping him engaged with lots of letters flying around! I also noticed that with some slight cues, like a gentle tap on the back to remind him to sit straight, or giving him a target to squat to, helped him learn movements easier. To this day, connection and meeting every person where they are are the core values at Puzzle Piece Athletics, and the name was meant to show how we progress by building toward our goal at each session.
L.A. Parent: When did your business launch in Northern California and what was the motivation behind it?
PPA: Puzzle Piece Athletics was established in Northern California in 2017. Before then, I had worked as a Crossfit trainer, Crossfit Kids Head Coach and a personal trainer, only seeing clients who were neurodivergent. I received client referrals through the neurodivergent community in the area. In 2022, Puzzle Piece Athletics was based out of one gym in the Bay Area, and today there are eight gyms. The motivation to expand was to provide the neurodivergent community a safe place to workout, where athletes can build strength, balance, coordination and, most importantly, confidence.
L.A. Parent: What prompted you to expand in Southern California and where is your location in Santa Monica?
PPA: We’re excited to expand to Southern California as we have an incredible trainer in the area and strong connections throughout the community. We are looking forward to serving and supporting the amazing SoCal neurodivergent community. Our location is at 2901 Ocean Park Blvd., and we’re in suite 103. We are open to serve clients and are excited to see where this location takes our amazing program.
Our head trainer in the Santa Monica location, Shane, has a strong background and training working with kids and has spent the last few years learning the Puzzle Piece Athletics method. He’s focused on building more connections across the SoCal region to create a stronger sense of community. We are unique in that our sessions are always 1-on-1. There is such a need for this in the special needs community, and we want to work with as many people as we can to help make a difference.
L.A. Parent: What services does PPA offer and what makes your program unique?
PPA: We offer one-hour, 1-to-1 functional fitness sessions based on the Puzzle Piece Athletics’ method. Our 1-to-1 approach allows every coach we train and certify to focus on each athlete, and work toward personal goals through movement and connection.
The Puzzle Piece Athletics method is a proprietary structured fitness program focused on the following principles:
- Balance, coordination, mobility and strength.
- Building confidence by creating a fun, positive and engaging environment.
- Creating bonds/trust with clients and relationship building (social interaction).
- Working with athletes on following directions and completing the task at hand.
- Enhancing fine motor skills with different movements and progressions.
- Helping foster body awareness in space and time.
Since I started working with the neurodivergent community in 2017, I have worked with experts, specialists and physicians to create a program that is specialized and specific to the neurodivergent community and each athlete’s success.
L.A. Parent: What ages do you serve?
PPA: Puzzle Piece Athletics serves ages 10 and up. If you are interested in learning more about us, follow our journey at https://www.puzzlepieceathletics.com/ or find us on Instagram.
