The Tampa area is one that’s seen many firsts, and now, a talented personal trainer is cutting the ribbon on another one: the first exercise training studio owner and operated by a trainer with autism.

Mark Fleming founded Puzzle Piece Fitness, LLC as a way to help individuals with autism and related disorders improve their lives through exercise. Fleming holds a Masters in Human Performance from the University of Alabama and is a certified personal trainer through the American Council on Exercise.

Fleming was featured on WTSP by reporter Bobby Lewis in his “On The Road” segment on March 5, 2019.

Fleming decided to start Puzzle Piece Fitness after working as a behavior assistant serving individuals with autism. Fleming said, “I noticed two startling trends. The first is that outside of school physical education, many individuals with autism have very few opportunities to stay active and healthy. The second is that physical and occupational therapies provide great opportunities for this population in terms of being physically active, however the therapies usually only cover obvious deficits and services are stopped once those deficits are corrected or the individual ages out of the school system.”

Fleming added that Puzzle Piece Fitness is not a typical autism or disability therapy. Fleming believes exercise is a therapy everybody should participate in throughout life, thus there are no “graduation” achievement milestones.

Clients can expect a typical session to last about an hour. Fleming formulates a specialized plan after an in-depth consultation with his clients, working to address all needs including sensory, learning and even behavioral issues. Fleming focuses on functional exercises that can improve quality of life and are performed throughout the day. Fleming encourages his clients to incorporate their exercises into their daily lives for maximum benefits.

“My goal is to use some functional training with these individuals that not only incorporates strength and cardiovascular training but also incorporating some elements within the exercise that can help motor planning, improvement of social skills, and possibly increase cognitive functioning,” said Fleming. “I also want to be a person that these individuals can turn to, so they can see they are not alone or helpless.”

Living with autism gives Fleming a unique perspective on his clients’ needs, helping him provide one-of-a-kind adaptive fitness training. Puzzle Piece Fitness is also a Gardner Scholarship reimbursement provider.

.