Lynnfield Girls Participating In Adaptive Dance Program

An area dance school is providing children with autism spectrum disorders a new opportunity to socialize and be active.

Since last summer, the Helene Joy School of Dance in Middleton has offered an adaptive dance program for children with ASDs. So far, two Lynnfield girls have been among the growing number of participants.

Susan Parziale's eight-year-old daughter Jenna started taking dance classes last summer, while Julie Perrin's daughter Rachel, also eight, has been in the classes since September. Both girls recently participated in their first dance recital with the Helene Joy School.

According to Parziale, each dancer in the adaptive program has a volunteer aide, typically of late middle school or high school age. In many cases, these aides are taking the opportunity to satisfy community service requirements for school.

"It's wonderful. They are so good with our girls," said Parziale, adding that "It was awesome, it was so great" to see the girls doing their first recital last month.

"You would think (Helene Joy) had been teaching special needs kids her whole life," said Parziale.

Perrin reports that her daughter Rachel is excited to go to dance class each week and like Parziale, she praises the dance school for its willingness to offer such an opportunity to kids with autism spectrum disorders.

"It's amazing how much it's done for her," said Perrin. "She loves the music, she feels the music. This is a reward for us as parents to see our children really enjoy something."

Perrin indicated that Rachel has also studied in an adaptive gymnastics program run by Josie Penza of Slips and Giggles in Malden. However, these opportunities are not always easy to find for parents of children with autism spectrum disorder, which is why the program offered by Helene Joy (who Perrin calls "an angel sent from Heaven") has been growing in popularity.