About Bobby Morong, Founder of Training Ties
I'm Bobby Morong. I spent over 20 years as a special education and adapted PE teacher in Massachusetts before founding Training Ties.
I built Training Ties because I watched too many of my students — kids with autism, ADHD, dyspraxia, Down syndrome, cerebral palsy — get told they "couldn't" tie their shoes. They could. The method we were teaching them just wasn't built for the way they learn.
Training Ties is the patented, teacher-invented shoe-tying tool I designed to fix that — and it's grown into a brand that ships to families, classrooms, and therapy clinics across the country.
Background
- 20+ years as a special education and adapted PE teacher in Massachusetts
- Inventor and patent-holder of Training Ties® checkpoint technology
- Featured in San Diego Voyager (founder interview)
- Based in Encinitas, California, running Training Ties full-time
What I've built
- Training Ties® shoe-tying tool — patented checkpoint scaffold for kids who get stuck on the standard method
- Two-color laces — visual aid that removes the directional language load
- A comprehensive shoe-tying help hub with methods, troubleshooting, and step-by-step protocol
- Condition-specific guides for autism & ADHD, dyspraxia, Down syndrome, cerebral palsy, sensory processing disorder, and fine motor delay
- Classroom-ready kits for OTs, SPED teachers, and pediatric therapy clinics
- An ongoing blog with classroom-tested shoe-tying methods, IEP goal templates, and parent resources
Why this work matters
Shoe tying is more than a footwear skill. It's a bilateral coordination milestone that builds neural pathways used in handwriting, instruments, knife-and-fork eating, and dozens of other life skills. It's also one of the first true independence skills a child masters — a tangible moment where they prove to themselves they can do something hard.
For kids with autism, ADHD, or motor planning challenges, who hear "let me help you" a hundred times a day, that moment of independence is profound. I've seen nonverbal kids light up. I've seen teenagers cry. I've watched parents record the moment on their phones because they never thought it would happen.
It happens. When you remove the broken methodology and give kids the right scaffold, it happens faster than you'd believe.
Get in touch
If you're a parent, an OT, a SPED teacher, or anyone navigating shoe tying with a kid who's been told they can't, I'd love to hear from you.
Email: bobby@trainingties.com