Movement Is Medicine: Why Adults with I/DD and Autism Still Need Space to Move

Some things we never outgrow: the need to feel safe in our bodies, the need to regulate our emotions, and the need to move. And yet, for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) and autism, opportunities for supported movement often disappear the moment childhood ends.

At Shared Wellness, we believe that’s not just a gap—it’s a crisis of access. That’s why our new Wellness Center in Warrington, Pennsylvania, opening in Fall 2025, will include something that’s rarely available in adult programs: a dedicated gross motor room.

Because movement isn’t just for kids. It never was.

We know from decades of research that physical movement—especially large-body, or “gross motor” movement—supports everything from emotional regulation to cognitive flexibility. It improves balance, coordination, executive functioning, and mood. But for adults with disabilities, it’s often so much more than that. Movement becomes a language, a coping strategy, a source of connection and joy. It’s how the body settles itself when the world becomes overwhelming. It’s how people prepare to engage, to focus, to relate.

Unfortunately, the spaces that support this kind of movement—swings, trampolines, climbing walls, sensory paths—tend to disappear after elementary school. The environments that remain often don’t welcome movement. In many adult programs and community settings, bodies are expected to stay still, quiet, and compliant. The room for expression shrinks. The dignity of movement is lost.

But adults don’t stop needing to self-regulate when they turn 21. In fact, as life becomes more complex—and as support systems become harder to access—the need for movement often grows.

Recent studies show that adults on the autism spectrum continue to experience significant challenges with motor coordination, sensory processing, and postural control—issues that affect not only physical well-being, but emotional health and safety as well. These motor challenges can increase fall risk, reinforce sedentary routines, and contribute to the anxiety and fatigue that come with constantly masking or managing overload. For adults with I/DD, particularly those who are nonverbal or who use alternative forms of communication, movement can remain one of the most intuitive and accessible ways to communicate emotion, intention, and need.

The benefits of supported movement aren’t abstract—they’re measurable. Research has shown that physical activity can reduce aggressive or self-injurious behavior, improve attention span and sleep, and increase overall engagement and self-confidence. One study found that adults with autism who participated in guided movement programs reported lower levels of anxiety and stronger social participation. Another noted that movement-based therapies helped individuals self-regulate more independently, allowing them to engage in community settings with greater ease and less need for external intervention.

But beyond the numbers, there’s something deeply human at work. When adults are given permission to move—to stretch, bounce, swing, and climb—they are also being given permission to exist fully in their bodies. They’re being told: you are welcome here, exactly as you are.

That’s the kind of space we’re creating at Shared Wellness.

The gross motor room at our Wellness Center won’t be a padded gym tucked away in a corner. It will be a central part of our vision—a place where adults can move freely without being misunderstood, where stimulation is balanced with calm, and where every piece of equipment is intentionally chosen to support sensory and physical diversity. There will be no age cutoff. No pressure to perform. Just room to move, and the freedom to do so on your own terms.

Because healing doesn’t always come through conversation. Sometimes, it comes through motion. Through the quiet bounce on a therapy ball after a long, overstimulating day. Through the stretch of muscles that haven’t had room to breathe. Through the rhythm of movement that finally makes the world feel manageable again.

We know that too often, wellness spaces are built without adults with disabilities in mind. They’re designed for people with time, money, and typical sensory profiles. But we’re doing something different. We’re designing a space that honors regulation, sensory safety, and lifelong movement as core parts of adult well-being.

This is what inclusive, adult-focused wellness looks like: a space where moving your body is seen not as a disruption, but as an act of care. A space where adults with I/DD and autism are not asked to hold it together, but are given the tools to let it go—safely, joyfully, and without shame.

The ability to move is fundamental. So is the right to do so with dignity.

At Shared Wellness, we’re not just building a gross motor room. We’re building a future where adults with disabilities are fully supported—emotionally, physically, and as whole people.

Learn more about how we are making Wellness Accessible for all @ SharedWellness.org.