Students at the Rutgers School of Health Professions bridge the exercise gap for children with disabilities by designing adaptive boxing and ballet programs

Doctoral students began with a question: Why do children and youth with disabilities engage in less physical activity than their typically developing peers?

What they discovered - physical limitations, cost barriers and limited access to adapted programming - led to action: new adaptive classes at a center serving children with disabilities, where young ones in pink tutus practice ballet and teenagers don boxing gloves.

The classes were designed and led by physical therapy students from the Rutgers School of Health Professionsat Club DREAMS(short for Down syndrome Recreation, Enrichment, Academic Meeting Space), in Ewing, N.J. Beyond exercise, they provide inclusive recreation for neurodivergent children and their siblings, respite and community for parents and real-life clinical experience for future therapists.

Emma Schneider, Rutgers Doctor of Physical Therapy student volunteer and creator of Ballet Buddies, assists ballerina, Sage, with her ballet posture and form.

"I try to stay hands-off and let the students guide it," said Ashley Conklin, assistant professor in the doctor of physical therapy program, who oversees the programming. "If they need help, I jump in and make modifications. What's important is they're seeing how what they learn in the classroom can translate into meaningful services in the community."

The classes serving children ages two to 18 are one piece of a broader community collaboration with the Down Syndrome Association of Central New Jerseyand its enrichment center, Club DREAMS, that began four years ago with physical therapy students and has expanded to include the school's occupational therapy doctorate program.

What started as a once-a-month gross motor play group led by Conklin and volunteer students and has now expanded into a community-based learning site supporting fieldwork placements for students, doctoral capstones, elective coursework and volunteerism - while expanding access for local families.

Conklin initially connected with the center through her local private practice and saw an opportunity to bring students into a setting where services were needed.

Two years later, Caroline Welch, assistant professor of occupational therapy, joined the effort.

"Our mission is to extend care beyond traditional clinics and into the community," she said. "Many of the individuals we serve have lifelong disabilities. Insurance may cover range of motion or muscle tone, but it doesn't always cover leisure participation, social engagement or community access - and those are essential to a meaningful life."

Today, students engage at multiple levels.

This is community-based practice in action. Our students aren't just learning theory. They're identifying needs, collaborating with families, designing programs and seeing firsthand how their work can change lives.

Ashley Conklin

Assistant Professor, Doctor of Physical Therapy Program, Rutgers School of Health Professions

Beginning occupational therapy students complete one of their first clinical fieldwork experiences at the center, spending five to six hours a week embedded in programming. They get to know participants and families, assist with existing activities and begin developing and leading small groups of their own.

Next-level students are there full-time - 40 hours a week - integrated into daily operations. They run groups, conduct evaluations, provide individual sessions and develop programs.

Doctoral capstone students take on longer-term projects, conducting needs assessments, building curricula and creating outcome measures that strengthen services and support future funding. Others volunteer on weekends, helping children play on monkey bars, slides and waving colorful parachutes during play.

For families, the impact is immediate.

Kaitlin Kaper of Ewing, whose two children - Peyton, 4, and Hudson, nearly 2 - participate in programs at Club DREAMS, first connected through the gross motor play group while Peyton was in early intervention.

Peyton, who has low muscle tone and receives services under an individualized education program for preschool children with disabilities, benefits from the adapted activities and individualized guidance from the Rutgers students.

"It helps with socialization, and it definitely helps getting tips on what to do for my daughter," Kaper said. "They give me suggestions for different activities and ways to support her at home."

Hudson participates in open play sessions as well.

"It's a place where both my kids are very comfortable and look forward to going on the weekend," she said. "And for some families, it's their first exposure to OT. They see what's possible."

For students, the experience can be career-defining.

Rutgers Doctor of Physical Therapy student volunteer Elaria Ibrahim assists two boxers with stance and form during Flow and Footwork adapted boxing.

One of the first occupational therapy students placed at Club DREAMS went on to complete a doctoral capstone at the center and now works full time in pediatrics.

"Nothing prepares you more than actually being in it," said Jacob Davis, who earned his occupational therapy degree in 2025. "The more hands-on experience I got - seeing it, living it - that's what helped me grow as a professional. You realize the influence you have on someone's care -and that's powerful."

Beyond skill development, the work also widens families' access to help.

"It was essentially a pro bono service," Davis said. "For some families, it was a chance to experience occupational therapy for the first time. I've had parents tell me they pursued outpatient services afterward because they finally understood what OT could do for their child."

That dual impact - training future clinicians while expanding access to services - is what faculty leaders hoped the partnership would achieve.

"This is community-based practice in action," Conklin said. "Our students aren't just learning theory. They're identifying needs, collaborating with families, designing programs and seeing firsthand how their work can change lives."

The commitment also has led to deepened faculty involvement with the organization. Conklin is vice president and Welch is a member of the board of the Down Syndrome Association of Central New Jersey, while assistant professor Adrienne Simonds is the board secretary.

Their roles reflect the sustained nature of the partnership - but its core remains student learning and family access.

On Sunday mornings in Ewing, that impact is visible: children learning dance steps, older ones practicing simple boxing techniques, parents exchanging encouragement and students adjusting activities in real time.