We are the Foundation
for Adaptive Fitness
Creating access, resources, and community for neurodivergent athletes and the teams who move them forward.
Puzzle Piece Athletics
In Action
Listen to why both athletes and their parents findsPPA an invaluable experience in building confidence and improving behavior and social skills, and increasing coordination.
The Challenge
1 in 36 children in the United States has autism spectrum disorder (ASD), according to 2020 estimates. They belong to a much larger community that is underserved and often underrepresented: “The Neurodivergent.”
Neurodivergent (ND) is a broad term for brains that function, learn, and process information differently than what is typical. Autism is one form of neurodivergence. ADHD, Down syndrome, dyslexia, dyspraxia (coordination difficulties), and intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) all fall under the same umbrella.
Every neurodiverse individual is unique in motor, cognitive, and language ability. Many share common traits, including social challenges and restricted or repetitive interests and behaviors. Research also shows neurodiverse children are generally less physically active than their peers and participate far less in group sports and recreation.
Why don't neurodiverse kids exercise? The reasons are as varied as the kids themselves: no interest, difficulty moving, directions that don't make sense, and low self-esteem from being picked last in gym class.
That's the challenge in front of us. It's one we can take on together!
The Mission.
Exercise is powerful therapy. Studies show it reduces repetitive behaviors, off-task behavior, mouthing, self-injury, disruptiveness, and aggression in neurodiverse individuals, with benefits that last for hours during and after a session. Exercise also reduces sensory overload, improves fine and gross motor skills, and strengthens social and communication skills. When the program, the environment, and the professionals are all supportive, the barriers come down. Neurodiverse individuals can enjoy exercise and build a long, healthy life.
Puzzle Piece Athletics is a 1:1 strength and conditioning program built specifically for Neurodiverse athletes. We fill a huge void for an underserved community by making exercise part of their routine, enriching their lives and starting a lifelong, positive relationship with fitness.
One person. One puzzle. One piece at a time.
What We Do
Founded in 2026, the Puzzle Piece Athletics Foundation exists to educate the ND community, and everyone who serves it, on the benefits of exercise. We believe everyone should know about the PPA magic, and every athlete deserves the opportunity to experience it.
Access:
The Athlete Fund
No athlete's potential should be decided by a price tag or a waitlist. Your support:
Funds additional PPA sessions for athletes whose families need help paying for them.
Brings the PPA method into schools, so access reaches every kid who needs it.
Equips every fitness facility properly for our athletes.
Resources: Coach & Trainer Development
Access is limited by how many people know this work exists and how many are trained to do it. Your support:
Continues our paid training program for coaches.
Educates families affected by neurodiversity on the benefits of exercise and PPA's unique method.
Educates government agencies, fitness centers, camps, hospitals, and medical professionals on what PPA offers.
Community: Building Through Partnership
None of this happens alone. Your support:
Partners with fellow nonprofits serving the ND community to build awareness and support together.
Sponsors fitness and community events in PPA markets, and expands wherever the need shows up.
Launches the PPA digital newsletter for regional centers, schools, sponsors, and parents.
The Method
What makes PPA so special? The PPA Method builds connection and confidence while building physical strength. Through specific programming and coaching one athlete at a time, it improves coordination, behavior, social skills, motor skills, and functional movement.
How do we do it? Basic human connection. Our founder's superpower.
It starts with the bond between coach and athlete. Then we add patience, personalized programming, safety, and fun. Every coaching technique is designed to be accessible to ND athletes: visual and verbal cues for what's expected, repeated practice, hand-over-hand movement, music, reward charts, whatever it takes to reach success.
A 1:1 coach-to-athlete ratio.
A structured, consistent, supportive environment where routine and order build follow-through.
A controlled setting with minimal sensory distraction.
Therapy tools woven into fitness programming (Therabands, balls, and more) for maximum success.
The Results
For the athlete
Exercise helps the entire body, including the brain, function at its best. Several studies show clear evidence that exercise improves attention, concentration, and organizational skills for individuals with autism and other neurodevelopmental disorders.
Stronger social skills, built by modeling appropriate behavior.
Improved motor skills, skill-related fitness, social functioning, muscular strength, and endurance.
Higher self-esteem.
Less stress, fewer problematic behaviors, and better sensory regulation.
Better sleep.
When the athlete wins, everyone around them wins too.
For parents
Respite during the athlete's one-hour session.
Relief from some of the financial strain that numerous therapies place on families.
Education on bringing fitness into their athlete's life, so the positive effects of PPA carry into every area.
For the community
Fewer disruptions in class and in public.
Better and stronger social interactions.
Greater inclusion for the ND community through our education.