Coach Bill / Dad, Entrepreneur Special Educator, American Political Scientist, Writer, Musician.

The therapy of rhythmic movement to music moves oneself to connect with the harmony of self to the external world. In fact, it paves the way    for an internal/ external ‘bandwith’ to happen, bringing even communicative self-expression to the experience, much like a poem, or story spoken with muscle, bone, and conscious/ unconscious movement. Often times, the dancing practitioner finds that their flow of movement has a correlation with their emotional state of being and that this status can be affected through the cyclical consistency of the dancing.  Herein, exists the beginning of the therapeutic understandings of ‘movement therapy.’ The actual benefits are complex, profound, and so intricately layered-that without the allowance of the experiential wherewithal of a teacher in the matter, the deeper matters of verbalizing how this rhythmic movement to music heals from the inside out, is lost on the everyday practitioner in word, though not in the intuitive awaren...

When working with individuals on the autism spectrum, with Downs Syndrome, Intellectual Disabilities or other special needs, being mindful of balancing desired goals with keeping the experience positive opens up a new skill-set level of teaching.  If the student can count on an instructional approach that is effectively motivating in a consistent manner, based on trust, and respect, then afterward, the student reflects on the learning experience and is inclined to continue performing at an increased rate of participation. Case in point, about eight to ten years ago I coached a witty, strong-willed and passionate basketball student athlete with Down Syndrome over at the Greenwich, Connecticut YMCA. Truly, His #BrothersKeeper. His attitude always conveyed a ‘ready-for-action’ impression on me and he soon took on leadership positions as an assistant basketball coach for the rest of the class. #BrothersKeeper would go to each student and help them with stretches, focus...

Lesson Number 1 The beginning of the successful instructional approach begins by putting aside formalities and being human. The teacher humbly understands that teaching and learning is a journey where both teach and both learn from the process. Instruction is given while the ability to listen to the student’s verbal and non-verbal communication is taught by the learner to the teacher. It is then a matter of perspective, a metacognitive outlook (thinking about out thinking and how we approach the world with our thought process) that outlines the further success and progression of the teaching and learning experience. Clear understanding of this principle is paramount to facilitate surpassing potential for instructor and instructed. Again, the beginning of the successful instructional approach begins by dropping pretenses and simply being genuine. This is the secret to my success and the success of my students. The awareness of the impact of verbal and non-verbal commu...

The goal with the dance videos is to bring awareness to action by parents and Special Educators on the value and benefit of dancing as an efficient and effective strategy to rapidly develop gross motor skills, executive function skills, cross-hemispheric cranial connectivity and all in all increasing cognitive processing speed. This is of great importance to families with children who have special needs, such as autism. Infants, children and adults like to listen to appealing music and swaying our bodies to it comes naturally. This is not always so with children on the autism spectrum. The antidote is to get them moving and playing, roughhousing (safely), dancing and being adventurous. Do schools support these values? How so? The ease a parent or Educator has in playing a song and dancing with their child or students in a classroom to strengthen their cognitive-physical syncronicity makes the activity practical and easily to replicate. In addition, dancing  has a tend...

updated 2/11/16 Metacognition, in layman’ s terms signifies how we approach the world through our thinking, to think about our thinking in order to review and edit our thought process so that we can gauge, change, maintain or seek to improve our course of action. Many of the students I work with do not place great value on social norms. Invariably, some of their traits and characteristics get ‘taken on by me.’ This is what happens when you are with someone for so long. Do we take on a bit of each other due to empathy? Are we like open books that we can write or code on each other a bit here and a bit there?  Processing (digesting code).  #theFieldGeneral, who is on the #autism spectrum is processing digested code on a a constant basis. We do it similarly, but ‘faster’  using a completely different cranial physical makeup. That is to say,  our brain is physically made slightly different because of the way we use it to think. The train tra...

The growth of a person cannot be lopsided. Inner and outer growth has to be balanced for optimal results. Working with a mindset that everything is possible, I meet my students in a place where there are no limits. Usually, I am always at this location first and then guide in (beam in) my student. With the right approach, a great coach can move a student quickly far beyond what they ever dreamed of once mindsets are shifted. Progress in skateboarding exemplifies this.  Like most endeavors, 'success' springs forward with practice, dedication and commitment. Not just committing to skate, but committing to moving beyond a present skill level. Thus, the mindset is not, "I want to do awesome skateboarding and get really good at it." No, the mindset is, if I just keep at it, little by little, one day at a time, before long I will move across the skill continuum to become a skilled boarder. Skateboarding is engaging and demands mental acumen to be proficient or grea...

A child’s first 5-6 years are a time of cognitive growth and eventually neural pruning, thus what is done with that time is of utmost importance. Recognizing dancing as a versatile, formidable modality for autism intervention is worth parents consideration. For starters, dance therapy is not dance class. With my three students  (on the spectrum) whom I have coached for over five years, I have rolled out the use of dancing as a form of communication, emotional processing, and tool to re-channel stemming behavior. I do not use this modality with every student I coach.  These early years need to be a time of setting precedent for a child with special needs. The development of the below skills can be strengthened in short time with the right teacher setting up the right conditions.  communication skills social skills sensory skills soft skills (grit, resilience, humility, compassion) executive function skills (like sustaining attention, functional balanc...

Storydancing allows a person to begin to process feelings, ideas, emotions and whatever else is in there by holding those things somewhat in focus as they dance according to metrics, such as: pace focus sustained attention behavior modulation goal-directed persistence self-control self-monitoring short-term working memory mental flexibility (transitions/ shifting) beat rhythm how they feel story line story development story goal Storydancing is not about filling the air with movement and perfect pitch, but about processing and creating new ways of thinking, feeling and being just by dancing one’s way into a new life. It is a concerted effort to bring the movements of the future into the present as much as it is a catch drain that sweeps our heart and mind The actual #storydance itself becomes an analogic (analogy) poem in literal motion that amazingly rewrites how you feel about things, and how you see things. Yes, this is movement therapy. Yes it is...

Mashing up Henry Ford’s assembly line,  Dr. Temple Grandin’s low-stress, max process ingenuity,  and cutting-edge music by groundbreaking artists…  @Vaskimmusic @flightfac @touchsensitive  @henrykrinkle_ @mansionair @imdurante  @cyrilhahn @flumemusic @chet_faker   @londongrammar  @shyboy Falling in mid-air Blindfolded feeling way through Tinkering, eliminating, stripping, fitting, callibrating Passion-driven teaching  slicing atmosphere Entrepreneurial teaching  heart and soul smidgen behind for my sanity Jet propulsion on-line now Phase one wiring complete Ground rapidly approaching Falling mid-air the engineer on the engine hammering, tightening, loosening passion enters knowledge makes room experience keeps itself quiet passion moves  hearts beat in sync Ground..rapidly approaching Igniting thrusters in the last moments before impact salty dried te...

What is won by fanning flames? Nothing. What is gained by winning arguments? Nothing. What is progressive about shooting people who have signed up to protect and serve others? Nothing. Should people be taught lessons with the knuckles of a fist? Is that what I teach? Or do I teach and model the ability to use your thinking side, rather than your reacting side? Impulse control, foresight, and emotional control are executive function skills after all.  Should we show others how we feel by cutting them down with sharp words? Should we cut our own Mothers down with insults and yelling? Should we throw tantrums on scandalous mainstream news broadcasts and stomp on cars, burn and vandalize them because we are upset with a court ruling?  No, the rule of law in a home, in a town or in our heart needs to be our gatekeeper. Just like it is very good to have police being a presence in the day and night across all American communities, it is important that children ...

For a few years I have been working on integrating the showmanship and basketball skills of the Harlem Globetrotters into my 1:1 coaching work with kids and adults on autism spectrum, those with ADHD/ADD and/ or those with executive function skill deficits. I see the ball-handling skills exhibited by professional basketball players and such show acts as the Globetrotters in-line with the holistic executive function skill use I teach and model. I also see the body positions that are required to surf and skate well pop up as we move to rhythm and beat, beat to rhythm. I love it. As I dance before dawn early in the morning or late at night I get ideas on how to stay crisp, fresh, keep the fun present, sustain and quickly implement ‘real-time’ coach-student feedback, harness my energy, manage my students energy, and the observable positive results I am able to help trigger.  I’d be remiss to say that my basketball moves don’t flesh into my dancing. They mesh with the...

Is it wishful thinking that growth hacking executive function skills through ‘alternative’ methods work faster than pure ABA therapy when working with individuals on the autism spectrum? Its not.  Why do U.S. Special Education dollars in public schools get outsourced when talented Special Educators get paid next to nothing for their heart and soul sacrifice? Does a hybrid instructional approach work better? What professional SHOULD be playing ‘point guard’ as the main expert in instructing students with disabilities like autism or ADHD?  Over the last twenty years in U.S. public education their has been a seismic shift in Special Education. Special Educators have lost critical footing due to top-down educational decision-making that is disconnected from the actual teacher-student connection. for example, having BCBA’s or ‘Board Certified Behavior Analyst’ as alternative Special Educators coming in to give additional expertise via the route of a...