TAMPA, Fla. — Many Tampa Bay charities will benefit from the Valspar Championship this week, which raises money for nonprofits like Growing on the Spectrum. 

When you arrive at Suncoast Gymnastics in Wesley Chapel, you’ll see a brown non-descript building and a parking lot. It doesn’t look like much is going on at all.

But when you walk inside, especially on a Friday afternoon, there’s nothing but action. Ninja class is in full swing. Leading the class is Ninja Program Director Aubrey Hutchison.

And helping him out are the students’ parents. Why? Because the class was their idea.

“We called them and contacted them, asking them essentially to create a class for our kids. We kind of guided them of what you would need to do, how you would make it successful and then we helped market it for them,” said Growing on the Spectrum co-founder Ashley Hoff.

Hoff’s son Hunter has autism. Just like all the kids in the class, which is specially designed for them.

“There’s less waiting and there are more stations,” she said. “The children have the ability to kind of roam free and do what works for them. And they can adapt the obstacle course to what fits their needs and what fits their abilities.”

Something parents like Nidhi Kotabagi say are very hard to find. Her son Vihan is taking the class.

“It’s hard to find providers who can accommodate, who understand this and were willing to take us in, which is why this group is so important,” said Kotabagi, who is also a co-founder.

Growing on the Spectrum has come a long way. It began on Facebook during the pandemic. Kotabagi, Hoff, and Fiorella Perkins, all mothers to autistic sons, needed an outlet to share stories and discuss issues that they each related to.

From there they formed a Facebook Group and last year, Growing on the Spectrum, officially became a (501)c3.

“Our goal is to work with the community to do this exact thing. So, we’ve done this, for example, with an art teacher. She offers Saturday morning art classes at our rec center. We said, ‘Hey, would you be willing to do a special adaptive one for our kids?’” said Hoff.

The answer was yes.

Adaptations include exercise breaks, limited distractions, positive reinforcement and clearly established routines. 

“One of the biggest goals for me, for Vihan, is that I want him to follow instructions. Follow his peers and his teacher when he’s being asked to do something. New environments can be very overwhelming for him. The sounds, the lights and everything,” Kotabagi said.

It does not take much, according to these parents, to develop classes that give kids all across the spectrum a chance to grow. That is, after all, what kids are supposed to do.

“Somebody mentioned this on Instagram a few days back. She’s another special needs mom, and she was like, ‘You know, joy is something all kids need. There’s no difference between, yeah, kids, when it comes to joy and the right to joy.’ So that’s the way I look at it. I’m like, my son deserves this,” Kotabagi said.