Movement is what Scott Malone’s world is all about. 

And his preparation as a physical therapist at Largo’s The Movement School began when he was a pre-teen.

“I already had books on my shelf with sports medicine and rehab and working out at the age of 12 for some reason,” Malone says.

Malone began this K-12 school four years ago with the mission to provide children with non-degenerative disabilities the tools to maximize their potential and growth.  Working with children with cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy and other challenges Malone found the traditional approaches incomplete.

“I didn’t understand in therapy how I was supposed to get a child and work on everyday skills like sitting, walking and talking and they’re seeing me only once a week,” Malone said.

Students attended full days Monday through Friday at no charge with a minimum of 15 hours a week of intensive work.  The movement school’s approach is threefold, starting with physical therapy.

“I’m kind of the foundation," Malone said. "The big muscles, the trunk, the hips, the legs, the walking.  Occupational therapy-fine motor, other details like that. Handwriting. Anything to do with using upper extremities, to be kind of generic. And speech is speech. Speech works off of augmentative communication."

Malone receives no salary at this not-for-profit school.

As Everyday Hero Host Bill Murphy was about to leave, he met Dustin, a young man who weeks before anyone knew Murphy was coming, had handwritten a fan letter to Bay News 9  meteorologist Brian McClure.  Dustin asked Murphy to deliver the note to McClure.  We did and he was very happy to receive it.