July 2, 2025 • 25 mins
Every movement matters. That's the powerful message Dr. Mark Fleming brings to his work with autistic individuals seeking to improve their physical wellness. Diagnosed with autism at age 11 due to motor and speech challenges, Dr. Fleming has transformed his personal experience into a mission that's changing lives across the autism community.
The conversation reveals how seemingly simple movements can dramatically improve quality of life when approached with understanding and expertise. Dr. Fleming shares the story of preventing a young client's knee surgery through dedicated movement therapy – a success that proved even more critical as the child later experienced significant growth in height. These tangible results highlight the vital importance of adaptive physical training for neurodivergent individuals.
What makes Dr. Fleming's approach revolutionary is his deep recognition that autism manifests differently in each person and fluctuates daily. "I know how my autism affects me, but I don't know how it affects them," he explains. This perspective allows him to create truly individualized programs focused on functional movements that directly translate to improved independence: squats that mimic sitting and standing, push-pull motions for daily tasks, balance exercises, and reaching movements.
His insights on nutrition for sensory-sensitive individuals provide a refreshing alternative to rigid diet plans. Rather than overwhelming clients with dramatic dietary overhauls, Dr. Fleming advocates for gradual modifications and supplementation, drawing from his own experiences with food sensitivities. "If someone's eating ten cheeseburgers daily, let's reduce to seven and add a vitamin," he suggests pragmatically.
From the child who first walked to chase an ice cream truck to the doctoral graduate defying expectations, Dr. Fleming's journey exemplifies the power of understanding individual motivation and capability. Connect with him on social media under "Official Dr Mark" to discover how specialized movement training could transform your or your loved one's daily living experiences.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:02):
Hi, thanks for joining the SJ Child Show today.
I am excited about thisconversation Today.
I am meeting with Dr MarkFleming and we've been following
one another on social media forquite some time now and it's
going to be really nice toconnect and find out more about
well I know, but if I share withyou guys more about you know
(00:25):
the services, the ideas, hismission and his story.
So thank you so much for beinghere today.
Speaker 2 (00:33):
Thank you for having me.
Speaker 1 (00:35):
Yeah, it's really exciting to catch up with you
and tell everybody a little bitabout yourself introduction, and
then we'll go from there.
Speaker 2 (00:46):
So my name is Dr Mark Fleming, Just recently finished
up my PhD in kinesiology.
I was diagnosed autistic at 11years old.
Mainly it was fine, gross grossmotor and speech issues and
(01:09):
then started having socialissues around probably middle
school that's what led to theautism diagnosis Ended up going
to college at the University ofAlabama finding an interest in
exercise science and then wentand got my master's, moved back
(01:31):
home due to some issues andstarted working in ABA, which is
where I found I worked wellwith the population and kind of
found that I could be anadvocate and be the voice for a
lot of individuals that didn'thave a voice.
That's also where I saw adiscrepancy in movement patterns
(01:53):
for individuals that wereyounger.
They were showing up with mySpecial Olympic athletes so I
knew there was a physicalactivity gap that was occurring
and so, with my background andABA kind of being a, I didn't
(02:16):
see a future in it because Iwould have had to gone back to
school to get my master's.
But I would have had to evenget an undergrad just to get my
master's, just to, you know, geta BCBA.
So I was like, let me just usewhat I know, um, and kind of try
to see if I can't help anybody.
(02:37):
Um, in a year I um was doingin-home um the first first two
years, and then I moved into hisstudio and it kind of went
crazy there in the first yeargot publicized throughout the
world and that was 2019.
So 2020 came, COVID hit andkind of had to reinvent and kind
(03:03):
of deal with that stuff.
And then two years ago it wasin a pretty major car accident.
So I have to reinvent myselfagain.
So you know that's.
That's a short, short version.
Speaker 1 (03:20):
Once you find the way , the new way is paved for you
to find.
Isn't that the truth, the wayof life?
Oh my goodness, that'sfascinating.
And I came about kinesiology acompletely different way, but I
love kinesiology, so I'm reallyexcited about this conversation.
But for folks that don't knowwhat that means, give us a brief
(03:45):
description of what thatentails.
Speaker 2 (03:48):
So kinesiology is essentially the science of how
the body interacts with exercise.
So that can be mental anything,physical, internal, so dealing
with cardiovascular, so yourblood, the endocrine system, so
your hormones, digestive system,anything with diet, and all
(04:12):
that alongside all the typicalmuscular adaptations that occur.
So it's a pretty broad subjectit's a pretty broad subject.
Speaker 1 (04:24):
And you can really get kind of a clue or, if you
will, a key maybe to whatsomebody might be going through
through some of thosedeterminations or measures, if
you will and really help people.
I learned I was an massagetherapist and I worked for a
(04:45):
chiropractor that was also akinesiologist.
So yeah, it was fun to learnmore than I would have
anticipated, you know, workinganywhere as just being a massage
therapist.
So yeah, I really learned toappreciate all aspects of
(05:07):
Eastern medicine, if you will.
I guess there's just so manythings.
But what do you do for a client, like, how do you help them?
Do you go to schools or do theycome to you?
What does that look like in thecommunity?
Speaker 2 (05:24):
Yeah, so for right now.
Now it's all virtual, but whatI started off doing was going in
home and essentially be apersonal trainer for that
individual.
And then I had my studio, whichthen people came to me.
But I also did local like.
I went to local organizationsin the Tampa Bay area I don't do
(05:47):
that here, but where I would goto say, like a job training
organization, talk to theirclients about the importance of
fitness and diet and all thatstuff, you know, the importance
of fitness and diet and all thatstuff and then just put them
(06:08):
through a little routine so thatthey can be like, okay, this
makes sense, um, you know, andjust give them kind of that um,
over overview of everything.
Speaker 1 (06:17):
So how do we start as parents, maybe with our littler
ones, to try to, because we wehave a huge, there again
spectrum of individuals who, youknow, may have eating diversion
, may have physical restraints,or or even just maybe don't know
(06:40):
how to move in a certain way.
So how do you introduce thoseclients to your program or or
kind of what do you walk themthrough?
Speaker 2 (06:53):
Um, so you just start with the very basics and see
what the individual can do.
First off, um, because I, Ieven started doing stuff at one
point and the parent juststarted crying, because they're
like, I didn't know my kid coulddo that.
Because, you know, we're mostpeople, if we don't have to do
(07:16):
something and we don't likewhatever it is, we're not going
to do it, going to do it.
So, like example, my mom alwaysloves telling me this is that
the first time I walked was that.
You know I was, I was a chubbybaby with motor issues that
(07:36):
weren't yet, you know, known.
But you know, the ice creamtruck came by one day and I
looked up and motioned to my momlike hey, let's go get ice
cream.
And she looked at me and she'slike no, if you want ice cream,
you got to go get it yourself.
I just hopped up and walked andgot it right because that's just
(08:00):
how it is so learning what theindividual can and can't do
because, like you said, there'ssome motor deficiencies that you
may need to help with.
When it comes to behavior, youknow you got to work slowly.
It just really depends on theindividual, and kind of being
(08:23):
empathetic and understanding ofwhat someone may be going
through allows me to kind ofunderstand more about what's
going on so I can take that stepback and see what's really
needed.
Speaker 1 (08:37):
I like that.
It's really important to be anactive listener, I guess, at
that moment where you can reallyhear the struggles that that
mom is saying the child ishaving, or the child can relate
to you, or the individual canrelate to struggles that they
might be having.
What type of?
(08:59):
So give us an example of like astart to finish movement
session or something that youmight help someone with and what
those results would be.
Speaker 2 (09:15):
Yeah, so it's pretty much like a normal personal
training session.
They come to me, we do a workwarmup.
We focus on the movements thata individual is gonna be doing
throughout the day, depending ontheir physical capabilities,
but most people it would be likea squat, because that
represents sit stand, a sort ofpush-pull type movement, because
(09:39):
we're always pushing andpulling things throughout our
days.
In the studio it was using likea step up type movement,
helping an individual be able togo up and down stairs balance,
because we all need balance, andthen sort of reach up type
(10:01):
exercise, because you got to beable to put things up, take
things down, um.
And then cardio, because we allneed better heart health, um.
But those would be buried,depending on the individual
needs and and their specificgoals.
Speaker 1 (10:19):
And how can they do that online?
Do you basically just walk themthrough those steps and and
mirror those things for them andthey do it in their room while
you do it, or you give them theinstructions and and like a
worksheet?
What does that look like?
Speaker 2 (10:36):
Well, it depends on the individual's learning
pattern.
I'm not going to sit here andjust tell you exactly what I
told you.
If you're a kinesthetic learner, right, exactly what I told you
.
If you're a kinesthetic learnerright, you're a kinesthetic
learner I'm going to tell you tograb something and do the
(10:58):
movement with me, mirror itright.
And it just depends on theindividual, what age they're at,
what their experience withexercise has been.
Previously, a lot of my currentclientele right now they were
ones that worked with me instudio, so I don't have to
mirror as much because we'redoing the same sort of things,
because most of them have beeninactive for the last eight
months, but yet they still knowwhat movements we do.
(11:21):
They just have been inactive.
So it really depends on theindividual.
I try to tailor everythingindividualistically because,
even if I'm working with anautistic client, I don't know
how autism affects them.
I know how my autism affects me, but I don't know how it
affects them, and so I can'ttake this clinical viewpoint of
(11:46):
what autism is going into everysession, even day-to-day
sessions, right, because autismis going to be different every
single day and I have to becompletely aware of that.
Going into a session like hey,this individual may be on the
verge of a breakdown.
(12:07):
This individual may be on theverge of a breakdown.
I got to be able to scale back.
I have to be able to do this,do that, depending on that
individual.
Speaker 1 (12:15):
I love that.
You're a wonderful provider.
I appreciate that in you somuch I think I hope that I'm
just going to make that clip andeverybody needs to be like this
, because every day can be sodang different.
You know, my kiddo has thecraziest sleep schedule and you
(12:39):
know, it took maybe for years ofreally watching his patterns
and figuring it out tounderstand that it was what his
body needed.
It was his own, you knowsomatic cycles he was going
through and it's two weeks inthe day and two weeks in the
(12:59):
night, which to everyone else insociety is crazy, because how
do you schedule anything whenyou can't, when you have two
weeks unavailable to you?
So homeschooling was fantasticfor us and I could do whatever I
needed to do, but um, but ithas definitely created some some
(13:20):
struggles with with creatingother regulated like regular
exercise.
For example, we do try to gofor drives and then go out for
walks and things when we dothose things, but it's tricky
and it is very individual toevery family and to every
(13:41):
person's needs.
What about do you talk tofamilies and individuals about
their nutrition and what thatmight look like, or or what kind
of um guidelines to best staywithin.
I don't know if that ispossible either.
Speaker 2 (14:00):
Yeah, I I try to not get too in-depth in it because
that's out of my scope ofpractice, but what I typically
look at is a three-day foodjournal to see what the
individual's eating and basedoff of that I can get a rough
(14:22):
estimate how many caloriesthey're getting in, how much
protein they're getting in, howmuch you know fiber, macro, all
that you know, and makerecommendations.
Obviously, when it comes toautistic individuals, you have a
lot of sensitivity when itcomes to food and so I try not
(14:45):
to tell the individual to switchthat up a lot, because you
don't want to mess with thatfood palette, because the
individual will not eat if youcompletely take that away.
And so what I try to focus inis okay if this individual's
eating, say and this ishypothetical 10 cheeseburgers a
(15:09):
day, let's try to reduce that toseven or six, so they're
reducing the caloric intakeinstead of hey, we just need to
eat lettuce.
Yeah, just need to eat, youknow, lettuce.
(15:30):
Yeah, let's try to focus on.
Hey, let's eat less.
And then let's try to give agummy vitamin right, a daily
vitamin.
So they're getting those microsas well.
Because that's how I started,you know, my health journey, as
I started taking supplementsinstead of because I can't.
There are certain foods I can'teat.
(15:52):
Like I drink a shake twice aday for my nutrient, just
because I can't eat certainvegetables, certain colors,
certain textures, like it's justweird, right, and so if I can't
do that, I can't expect anybodyelse to do that.
And so just providing someresources and sources for people
(16:17):
to use so that you know theydon't feel overwhelmed while my
kid isn't getting all thenutrients they need, well, let's
try to find, you know,different ways.
You know there's Ensure whereyou can get protein and all this
other stuff for a carb heavyperson.
You know Ensure tastes likemilkshakes, so you know adding
(16:40):
those.
The person doesn't realizethey're getting this protein and
nutrients and all this otherstuff.
Speaker 1 (16:46):
So you're you're sort of tricking, but not tricking,
right, yeah, so tricking thosesort of things, positive
intentions no I like that and myhusband will be so glad to hear
you say that because he he isthe same way.
Like he, it has a liquid dietthroughout the day and then
(17:07):
he'll like eat a dinner, but andhe does restoration and
construction and he can't stopand eat something.
In fact, it makes him fallasleep If he eats something.
He has a really sensitivedigestion.
So, yeah, it's, it's, we haveto be understanding of how those
(17:27):
foods affect them as well, likeyou said, and I'm really glad
that you shared that.
Thanks for for sharing your ownstory about that.
What do you think?
Um was kind of the aha moment,or you know, this is what I'm
going to do to help you knowfamilies and what was that drive
(17:49):
for you?
Did you like to work out, likeyou said you, you were taking
supplements and your own healthjourney.
How did that flip for you towant to just help the community?
Speaker 2 (18:01):
Um, so I was always into sports growing up.
That was kind of my thing,which it was, um, just one of
the reasons why I wasn't in a,uh, specialized school or
anything like that, because Icould socialize around sports.
Um, so that wasn't.
You know, that was kind of mypathway because it wasn't deemed
(18:24):
as a negative thing.
Right, when we think autism andspecial interests, most people
don't think sports as being aspecial interest.
It was mine.
Then I got to college, floatedaround a little bit because I
didn't really know what I wantedto do.
Know what I wanted to do,landed on kinesiology and had a
(18:49):
adaptive physical educationclass where I met my first ever
client and I loved it.
But everybody that gets intoexercise, science, kinesiology
usually the vast majority ofthem end up in it because they
want to train athletes.
Of them end up in it becausethey want to train athletes.
So that was still in my mindsetwhen I got in my master's, did
(19:10):
another adapted specialeducation class, physical
education class really enjoyedit.
Actually wrote a paper thatcould have been, you know, a
dissertation, but still was like, nah, I'm going to train
athletes.
Got into ABA, found that Iworked well with the population.
Then I was like, okay, yeah,maybe this is it, and it really
(19:31):
didn't hit me until I startedactually making a difference.
So, like with one of my veryfirst clients, he had not me
very young, not me, very young,not me to the point where, if it
(19:55):
didn't improve, they were goingto cut his knees to shorten
those tendons and so it tooklike a year and a half but we
prevented him from that surgery,which is good, because he
gained like over a foot after Iworked with him in height.
So, like you know, that couldhave been really bad.
Um, but seeing thosedifferences, the things because
(20:18):
most people when they thinkpersonal training and exercise,
they're mainly focused on theweight loss and all that or
building massive muscle, whenreally it's just about improving
daily life and seeing that Iwas actually making a difference
was like, yeah, that's reallywhat this is about.
Speaker 1 (20:42):
I love that.
No, it is really special whenyou make a difference for
someone and help them helpthemselves.
That's the best part is whenthey see the results and see and
it empowers them to want to bebetter for themselves.
So that's a powerful giftyou're giving people really
(21:11):
really cool, really cool.
Um, what is the plan?
Moving forward?
Any anything different?
Or you're gonna keep practicingwhere you're at any?
Speaker 2 (21:15):
not that, don't reveal too many secrets uh, the
plan right now is just to keepbuilding business back up.
Um, I am, you know, keepingfeelers out there for other jobs
, because this would be myfourth or fifth time rebuilding
the business, because going fromin home to in studio I had to
(21:36):
rebuild it.
Then after COVID I had torebuild it and you know, it's
just a lot.
If I can find, you know, thatwould be awesome, just so that
then I can still have,especially now that I have a
doctorate, I want to be able tohelp whole communities.
(22:11):
I want to be able to help, youknow, from massive organizations
and stuff like that, because,you know, while working at where
I was, you know, I I feel thatI can help more.
And so, just keeping thosefeelers out, you know, but you
(22:33):
never know, you never know Justbeing able to adapt and be able
to change things when the time'sright, whether it's with a new
business, with my business,creating different programs to
improving my self-advocacy,writing books, whatever that
(22:56):
looks going forward.
Speaker 1 (22:58):
I love that, and if people are interested in
supporting you and finding outmore or becoming a client, where
do we need to send them?
Speaker 2 (23:09):
so the best uh best places is facebook, instagram,
tiktok, all uh our official drmark in some form or fashion.
Um so instagram officialunderscore Dr Mark.
Speaker 1 (23:31):
Isn't that the way it goes?
It's always open it without ityelling at you.
Speaker 2 (23:39):
Is.
It is again official underscoreDr Mark, and I think Facebook's
a little different.
I think it's.
I can't see it right now, butit would be like official Dr
Mark 31 or something like that.
You can look up my name, MarkFleming, on all platforms.
It should pop up, especially ifyou include that doctor
(24:00):
Congratulations on that, by theway.
Speaker 1 (24:03):
Thank you Thank you.
Speaker 2 (24:06):
It's quite the achievement, one that you know.
A lot of people didn't think Iwould graduate high school, so
being able to go get mydoctorate is a huge thing, Do
you?
Speaker 1 (24:19):
have siblings, or I'm sure parents that got to
appreciate that for you.
Speaker 2 (24:26):
Yeah, my sister and my mom, yeah, so, which you know
, both of them were just amazed.
You know, because I struggledin high school, struggled in
undergrad, I didn't really starthitting my stride till my
master's program, undergrad.
(24:47):
I didn't really start hittingmy stride till my master's
program, so I was a really latebloomer when it came to school
and learning.
Speaker 1 (24:52):
Well, you've done fantastic and you have your
whole life ahead of you and allof the people that you're going
to touch and help and familiesthat you're going to just
improve lives.
So thank you so much for thework you're doing and we really
appreciate it.
It's been so nice to get toknow you today.
I hope we can stay in touch anddefinitely, you know see if I
(25:17):
can send people your way in anyway and support you any way I
can.
So thank you so much.
Yeah, thanks for having me, it'sbeen a pleasure.
Yeah, let's stay in touch, forsure.
Speaker 2 (25:29):
Yeah.
Hi, thanks for joining the SJ Child Show today.
I am excited about thisconversation Today.
I am meeting with Dr MarkFleming and we've been following
one another on social media forquite some time now and it's
going to be really nice toconnect and find out more about
well I know, but if I share withyou guys more about you know
(00:25):
the services, the ideas, hismission and his story.
So thank you so much for beinghere today.
Speaker 2 (00:33):
Thank you for having me.
Speaker 1 (00:35):
Yeah, it's really exciting to catch up with you
and tell everybody a little bitabout yourself introduction, and
then we'll go from there.
Speaker 2 (00:46):
So my name is Dr Mark Fleming, Just recently finished
up my PhD in kinesiology.
I was diagnosed autistic at 11years old.
Mainly it was fine, gross grossmotor and speech issues and
(01:09):
then started having socialissues around probably middle
school that's what led to theautism diagnosis Ended up going
to college at the University ofAlabama finding an interest in
exercise science and then wentand got my master's, moved back
(01:31):
home due to some issues andstarted working in ABA, which is
where I found I worked wellwith the population and kind of
found that I could be anadvocate and be the voice for a
lot of individuals that didn'thave a voice.
That's also where I saw adiscrepancy in movement patterns
(01:53):
for individuals that wereyounger.
They were showing up with mySpecial Olympic athletes so I
knew there was a physicalactivity gap that was occurring
and so, with my background andABA kind of being a, I didn't
(02:16):
see a future in it because Iwould have had to gone back to
school to get my master's.
But I would have had to evenget an undergrad just to get my
master's, just to, you know, geta BCBA.
So I was like, let me just usewhat I know, um, and kind of try
to see if I can't help anybody.
(02:37):
Um, in a year I um was doingin-home um the first first two
years, and then I moved into hisstudio and it kind of went
crazy there in the first yeargot publicized throughout the
world and that was 2019.
So 2020 came, COVID hit andkind of had to reinvent and kind
(03:03):
of deal with that stuff.
And then two years ago it wasin a pretty major car accident.
So I have to reinvent myselfagain.
So you know that's.
That's a short, short version.
Speaker 1 (03:20):
Once you find the way , the new way is paved for you
to find.
Isn't that the truth, the wayof life?
Oh my goodness, that'sfascinating.
And I came about kinesiology acompletely different way, but I
love kinesiology, so I'm reallyexcited about this conversation.
But for folks that don't knowwhat that means, give us a brief
(03:45):
description of what thatentails.
Speaker 2 (03:48):
So kinesiology is essentially the science of how
the body interacts with exercise.
So that can be mental anything,physical, internal, so dealing
with cardiovascular, so yourblood, the endocrine system, so
your hormones, digestive system,anything with diet, and all
(04:12):
that alongside all the typicalmuscular adaptations that occur.
So it's a pretty broad subjectit's a pretty broad subject.
Speaker 1 (04:24):
And you can really get kind of a clue or, if you
will, a key maybe to whatsomebody might be going through
through some of thosedeterminations or measures, if
you will and really help people.
I learned I was an massagetherapist and I worked for a
(04:45):
chiropractor that was also akinesiologist.
So yeah, it was fun to learnmore than I would have
anticipated, you know, workinganywhere as just being a massage
therapist.
So yeah, I really learned toappreciate all aspects of
(05:07):
Eastern medicine, if you will.
I guess there's just so manythings.
But what do you do for a client, like, how do you help them?
Do you go to schools or do theycome to you?
What does that look like in thecommunity?
Speaker 2 (05:24):
Yeah, so for right now.
Now it's all virtual, but whatI started off doing was going in
home and essentially be apersonal trainer for that
individual.
And then I had my studio, whichthen people came to me.
But I also did local like.
I went to local organizationsin the Tampa Bay area I don't do
(05:47):
that here, but where I would goto say, like a job training
organization, talk to theirclients about the importance of
fitness and diet and all thatstuff, you know, the importance
of fitness and diet and all thatstuff and then just put them
(06:08):
through a little routine so thatthey can be like, okay, this
makes sense, um, you know, andjust give them kind of that um,
over overview of everything.
Speaker 1 (06:17):
So how do we start as parents, maybe with our littler
ones, to try to, because we wehave a huge, there again
spectrum of individuals who, youknow, may have eating diversion
, may have physical restraints,or or even just maybe don't know
(06:40):
how to move in a certain way.
So how do you introduce thoseclients to your program or or
kind of what do you walk themthrough?
Speaker 2 (06:53):
Um, so you just start with the very basics and see
what the individual can do.
First off, um, because I, Ieven started doing stuff at one
point and the parent juststarted crying, because they're
like, I didn't know my kid coulddo that.
Because, you know, we're mostpeople, if we don't have to do
(07:16):
something and we don't likewhatever it is, we're not going
to do it, going to do it.
So, like example, my mom alwaysloves telling me this is that
the first time I walked was that.
You know I was, I was a chubbybaby with motor issues that
(07:36):
weren't yet, you know, known.
But you know, the ice creamtruck came by one day and I
looked up and motioned to my momlike hey, let's go get ice
cream.
And she looked at me and she'slike no, if you want ice cream,
you got to go get it yourself.
I just hopped up and walked andgot it right because that's just
(08:00):
how it is so learning what theindividual can and can't do
because, like you said, there'ssome motor deficiencies that you
may need to help with.
When it comes to behavior, youknow you got to work slowly.
It just really depends on theindividual, and kind of being
(08:23):
empathetic and understanding ofwhat someone may be going
through allows me to kind ofunderstand more about what's
going on so I can take that stepback and see what's really
needed.
Speaker 1 (08:37):
I like that.
It's really important to be anactive listener, I guess, at
that moment where you can reallyhear the struggles that that
mom is saying the child ishaving, or the child can relate
to you, or the individual canrelate to struggles that they
might be having.
What type of?
(08:59):
So give us an example of like astart to finish movement
session or something that youmight help someone with and what
those results would be.
Speaker 2 (09:15):
Yeah, so it's pretty much like a normal personal
training session.
They come to me, we do a workwarmup.
We focus on the movements thata individual is gonna be doing
throughout the day, depending ontheir physical capabilities,
but most people it would be likea squat, because that
represents sit stand, a sort ofpush-pull type movement, because
(09:39):
we're always pushing andpulling things throughout our
days.
In the studio it was using likea step up type movement,
helping an individual be able togo up and down stairs balance,
because we all need balance, andthen sort of reach up type
(10:01):
exercise, because you got to beable to put things up, take
things down, um.
And then cardio, because we allneed better heart health, um.
But those would be buried,depending on the individual
needs and and their specificgoals.
Speaker 1 (10:19):
And how can they do that online?
Do you basically just walk themthrough those steps and and
mirror those things for them andthey do it in their room while
you do it, or you give them theinstructions and and like a
worksheet?
What does that look like?
Speaker 2 (10:36):
Well, it depends on the individual's learning
pattern.
I'm not going to sit here andjust tell you exactly what I
told you.
If you're a kinesthetic learner, right, exactly what I told you
.
If you're a kinesthetic learnerright, you're a kinesthetic
learner I'm going to tell you tograb something and do the
(10:58):
movement with me, mirror itright.
And it just depends on theindividual, what age they're at,
what their experience withexercise has been.
Previously, a lot of my currentclientele right now they were
ones that worked with me instudio, so I don't have to
mirror as much because we'redoing the same sort of things,
because most of them have beeninactive for the last eight
months, but yet they still knowwhat movements we do.
(11:21):
They just have been inactive.
So it really depends on theindividual.
I try to tailor everythingindividualistically because,
even if I'm working with anautistic client, I don't know
how autism affects them.
I know how my autism affects me, but I don't know how it
affects them, and so I can'ttake this clinical viewpoint of
(11:46):
what autism is going into everysession, even day-to-day
sessions, right, because autismis going to be different every
single day and I have to becompletely aware of that.
Going into a session like hey,this individual may be on the
verge of a breakdown.
(12:07):
This individual may be on theverge of a breakdown.
I got to be able to scale back.
I have to be able to do this,do that, depending on that
individual.
Speaker 1 (12:15):
I love that.
You're a wonderful provider.
I appreciate that in you somuch I think I hope that I'm
just going to make that clip andeverybody needs to be like this
, because every day can be sodang different.
You know, my kiddo has thecraziest sleep schedule and you
(12:39):
know, it took maybe for years ofreally watching his patterns
and figuring it out tounderstand that it was what his
body needed.
It was his own, you knowsomatic cycles he was going
through and it's two weeks inthe day and two weeks in the
(12:59):
night, which to everyone else insociety is crazy, because how
do you schedule anything whenyou can't, when you have two
weeks unavailable to you?
So homeschooling was fantasticfor us and I could do whatever I
needed to do, but um, but ithas definitely created some some
(13:20):
struggles with with creatingother regulated like regular
exercise.
For example, we do try to gofor drives and then go out for
walks and things when we dothose things, but it's tricky
and it is very individual toevery family and to every
(13:41):
person's needs.
What about do you talk tofamilies and individuals about
their nutrition and what thatmight look like, or or what kind
of um guidelines to best staywithin.
I don't know if that ispossible either.
Speaker 2 (14:00):
Yeah, I I try to not get too in-depth in it because
that's out of my scope ofpractice, but what I typically
look at is a three-day foodjournal to see what the
individual's eating and basedoff of that I can get a rough
(14:22):
estimate how many caloriesthey're getting in, how much
protein they're getting in, howmuch you know fiber, macro, all
that you know, and makerecommendations.
Obviously, when it comes toautistic individuals, you have a
lot of sensitivity when itcomes to food and so I try not
(14:45):
to tell the individual to switchthat up a lot, because you
don't want to mess with thatfood palette, because the
individual will not eat if youcompletely take that away.
And so what I try to focus inis okay if this individual's
eating, say and this ishypothetical 10 cheeseburgers a
(15:09):
day, let's try to reduce that toseven or six, so they're
reducing the caloric intakeinstead of hey, we just need to
eat lettuce.
Yeah, just need to eat, youknow, lettuce.
(15:30):
Yeah, let's try to focus on.
Hey, let's eat less.
And then let's try to give agummy vitamin right, a daily
vitamin.
So they're getting those microsas well.
Because that's how I started,you know, my health journey, as
I started taking supplementsinstead of because I can't.
There are certain foods I can'teat.
(15:52):
Like I drink a shake twice aday for my nutrient, just
because I can't eat certainvegetables, certain colors,
certain textures, like it's justweird, right, and so if I can't
do that, I can't expect anybodyelse to do that.
And so just providing someresources and sources for people
(16:17):
to use so that you know theydon't feel overwhelmed while my
kid isn't getting all thenutrients they need, well, let's
try to find, you know,different ways.
You know there's Ensure whereyou can get protein and all this
other stuff for a carb heavyperson.
You know Ensure tastes likemilkshakes, so you know adding
(16:40):
those.
The person doesn't realizethey're getting this protein and
nutrients and all this otherstuff.
Speaker 1 (16:46):
So you're you're sort of tricking, but not tricking,
right, yeah, so tricking thosesort of things, positive
intentions no I like that and myhusband will be so glad to hear
you say that because he he isthe same way.
Like he, it has a liquid dietthroughout the day and then
(17:07):
he'll like eat a dinner, but andhe does restoration and
construction and he can't stopand eat something.
In fact, it makes him fallasleep If he eats something.
He has a really sensitivedigestion.
So, yeah, it's, it's, we haveto be understanding of how those
(17:27):
foods affect them as well, likeyou said, and I'm really glad
that you shared that.
Thanks for for sharing your ownstory about that.
What do you think?
Um was kind of the aha moment,or you know, this is what I'm
going to do to help you knowfamilies and what was that drive
(17:49):
for you?
Did you like to work out, likeyou said you, you were taking
supplements and your own healthjourney.
How did that flip for you towant to just help the community?
Speaker 2 (18:01):
Um, so I was always into sports growing up.
That was kind of my thing,which it was, um, just one of
the reasons why I wasn't in a,uh, specialized school or
anything like that, because Icould socialize around sports.
Um, so that wasn't.
You know, that was kind of mypathway because it wasn't deemed
(18:24):
as a negative thing.
Right, when we think autism andspecial interests, most people
don't think sports as being aspecial interest.
It was mine.
Then I got to college, floatedaround a little bit because I
didn't really know what I wantedto do.
Know what I wanted to do,landed on kinesiology and had a
(18:49):
adaptive physical educationclass where I met my first ever
client and I loved it.
But everybody that gets intoexercise, science, kinesiology
usually the vast majority ofthem end up in it because they
want to train athletes.
Of them end up in it becausethey want to train athletes.
So that was still in my mindsetwhen I got in my master's, did
(19:10):
another adapted specialeducation class, physical
education class really enjoyedit.
Actually wrote a paper thatcould have been, you know, a
dissertation, but still was like, nah, I'm going to train
athletes.
Got into ABA, found that Iworked well with the population.
Then I was like, okay, yeah,maybe this is it, and it really
(19:31):
didn't hit me until I startedactually making a difference.
So, like with one of my veryfirst clients, he had not me
very young, not me, very young,not me to the point where, if it
(19:55):
didn't improve, they were goingto cut his knees to shorten
those tendons and so it tooklike a year and a half but we
prevented him from that surgery,which is good, because he
gained like over a foot after Iworked with him in height.
So, like you know, that couldhave been really bad.
Um, but seeing thosedifferences, the things because
(20:18):
most people when they thinkpersonal training and exercise,
they're mainly focused on theweight loss and all that or
building massive muscle, whenreally it's just about improving
daily life and seeing that Iwas actually making a difference
was like, yeah, that's reallywhat this is about.
Speaker 1 (20:42):
I love that.
No, it is really special whenyou make a difference for
someone and help them helpthemselves.
That's the best part is whenthey see the results and see and
it empowers them to want to bebetter for themselves.
So that's a powerful giftyou're giving people really
(21:11):
really cool, really cool.
Um, what is the plan?
Moving forward?
Any anything different?
Or you're gonna keep practicingwhere you're at any?
Speaker 2 (21:15):
not that, don't reveal too many secrets uh, the
plan right now is just to keepbuilding business back up.
Um, I am, you know, keepingfeelers out there for other jobs
, because this would be myfourth or fifth time rebuilding
the business, because going fromin home to in studio I had to
(21:36):
rebuild it.
Then after COVID I had torebuild it and you know, it's
just a lot.
If I can find, you know, thatwould be awesome, just so that
then I can still have,especially now that I have a
doctorate, I want to be able tohelp whole communities.
(22:11):
I want to be able to help, youknow, from massive organizations
and stuff like that, because,you know, while working at where
I was, you know, I I feel thatI can help more.
And so, just keeping thosefeelers out, you know, but you
(22:33):
never know, you never know Justbeing able to adapt and be able
to change things when the time'sright, whether it's with a new
business, with my business,creating different programs to
improving my self-advocacy,writing books, whatever that
(22:56):
looks going forward.
Speaker 1 (22:58):
I love that, and if people are interested in
supporting you and finding outmore or becoming a client, where
do we need to send them?
Speaker 2 (23:09):
so the best uh best places is facebook, instagram,
tiktok, all uh our official drmark in some form or fashion.
Um so instagram officialunderscore Dr Mark.
Speaker 1 (23:31):
Isn't that the way it goes?
It's always open it without ityelling at you.
Speaker 2 (23:39):
Is.
It is again official underscoreDr Mark, and I think Facebook's
a little different.
I think it's.
I can't see it right now, butit would be like official Dr
Mark 31 or something like that.
You can look up my name, MarkFleming, on all platforms.
It should pop up, especially ifyou include that doctor
(24:00):
Congratulations on that, by theway.
Speaker 1 (24:03):
Thank you Thank you.
Speaker 2 (24:06):
It's quite the achievement, one that you know.
A lot of people didn't think Iwould graduate high school, so
being able to go get mydoctorate is a huge thing, Do
you?
Speaker 1 (24:19):
have siblings, or I'm sure parents that got to
appreciate that for you.
Speaker 2 (24:26):
Yeah, my sister and my mom, yeah, so, which you know
, both of them were just amazed.
You know, because I struggledin high school, struggled in
undergrad, I didn't really starthitting my stride till my
master's program, undergrad.
(24:47):
I didn't really start hittingmy stride till my master's
program, so I was a really latebloomer when it came to school
and learning.
Speaker 1 (24:52):
Well, you've done fantastic and you have your
whole life ahead of you and allof the people that you're going
to touch and help and familiesthat you're going to just
improve lives.
So thank you so much for thework you're doing and we really
appreciate it.
It's been so nice to get toknow you today.
I hope we can stay in touch anddefinitely, you know see if I
(25:17):
can send people your way in anyway and support you any way I
can.
So thank you so much.
Yeah, thanks for having me, it'sbeen a pleasure.
Yeah, let's stay in touch, forsure.
Speaker 2 (25:29):
Yeah.
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