It is 9 o’clock on a Saturday morning and apart from a handful of caffiene-starved coffee drinkers feeding their addiction at a corner cafe, Mundy Street in downtown Bendigo is silent.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
But inside the Tom Tweed Stadium there is a flurry of activity.
Children hurl themselves into pits of foam, tumble over cylinders the size of oil drums and spring into the air, buoyed by the bounce of a trampoline.
One young girl, stuffed toy in hand, teeters toe after toe on a balance beam.
They are a diverse bunch: over two, one-hour sessions every Saturday, 40 boys and girls, toddlers to teens, take part in sensory gymnastics at Palmer’s Gym.
What unites them is the fact they have all been diagnosed with, are being tested for or are suspected of having an autism spectrum or sensory processing disorder.
Among the gymnasts is Caitlin Murphy’s stepson, Cooper. He has classic autism.
Ms Murphy’s younger son, Logan, is still undergoing assessment.
Signs of both boys’ autism emerged as toddlers, she said, with the pair avoiding eye contact and disliking certain clothing and food textures – all common signs of an autism spectrum disorder.
They also had difficulty moving from one task to the next, like leaving behind a book to eat dinner.
“Sometimes, for my boys, it's, 'No, we’re not doing that',” she said.
While Ms Murphy said the boys were much like any other child – Cooper attends a regular primary school – time spent interacting with other autistic children was an opportunity to relax.
“It takes all the pressure off everybody,” she said.
“They have the opportunity to just relax and do what they want.
“When we are surrounded by other autistic families, we know our children are understood and free to be themselves.’”
Run-up to gym success
Bendigo Autistic Advocacy and Support Service co-convenor Beck Kelly first pushed for the sensory program while taking her daughter to gymnastics lessons.
She found the number of people in the space, and the structure of the program, overwhelming for someone with an autism spectrum disorder.
“Unstructured events worked for our community a lot better,” Ms Kelly said, explaining the only routine was a burst of bubbles ten minutes before the session’s end, readying participants to leave their gym.
She swiftly secured funding from Bendigo Health’s carer support services.
At the time it was only the second program of its type in the state, and the first in regional Victoria.
Gymnastics might be a relatively new approach to autism, but its benefits are documented in a 2014 study from disability not-for-profit Scope.
Aside from its physical rewards – participants reported improved strength, flexibility, balance and co-ordination – the study also found gymnastics developed children’s self-esteem.
The sport aided their social development and ability to participate too.
The study also found gymnastics were a boon for parents of autistic children, an experienced echoed by the Bendigo mums and dads who watch from the sidelines on Saturdays.
Ms Murphy said the group lent one another a sympathetic ear while their children played, and she could ask for autism resources her new friends found useful.
“It's wonderful to make friends who completely understand everything you’re going through,” she said.
“If any of our children are having a difficult day, it's not a problem.
“Nobody's judging.”
Helping handstand
Also on hand to help are gym staff and volunteers, who watch over the young participants, showing them a cartwheel or handstand should they choose to seek some guidance.
Helper Gemma Smith said the sensory sessions were far-removed from the tightly controlled classes on weekdays.
“It’s usually a lot more structured and we have them doing circuits,” Ms Smith said.
“Here’s there’s pretty much no rules and they’re free to do as they please.”
She still remembered the rush of confidence she got from her first shot at gymnastics more than a decade ago.
Fear of somersaulting quickly disappeared after her first successful roll.
“They can have that feeling they can actually achieve something too,” Ms Smith said of the sensory program’s participants.
The gym has also reaped the rewards of welcoming autistic community members: teacher Emma Carmody was this year announced as Gymnastics Victoria’s inclusive leader of the year.
Her sport is not the only activity in Bendigo to be made more friendly for autistic children.
The city’s cinema also offers special film screenings with the lights turned up and sound turned down, so not to overwhelm the young people’s senses.
Ms Kelly, whose autism advocacy service launched in Bendigo last July, said the programs were part of a shift in understanding about how autistic people’s minds work.
“It’s not something that needs to be cured, it’s just part of who we are,” she said.