Anybody's AS/PDD kids doing martial arts

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Registered: 03-27-2003
Anybody's AS/PDD kids doing martial arts
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Fri, 02-10-2006 - 2:14pm

Aaron, 5, has PDD-NOS, hypotonia, and sensory issues of course. I began thinking about what he can do sport-wise, to get him off the couch and improve his coordination and strength. All the little boys around here play soccer and t-ball, but I couldn't see Aaron doing that. He doesn't get the concept of games.... He would have to be prompted at every step on what to do. He had a HUGE meltdown one day just trying to bat the ball with his same-age cousin. I mentioned this to the Pediatrician, and he said Tae Kwon Do would be great. It is not a heavy contact sport. The OT also thought it was a great idea, and said there are studies on the good martial arts does for these kids.

He has been enrolled since late November and really likes it. His movements are a little slower than the other kids, but he is still making progress. His instructor says he is ready to test for the next belt. I have seen him go on sensory overload one time at a particularly busy moment in a large class. He just blanked out and the teacher had to tell him three times it was his turn to do his practice kick. But really, he does pay attention and participate.

I would have never tried this had the doctor not suggested it. I also called around to schools and discussed Aaron's issues. The instructor he has is a nice man who seems to really enjoy the kids. It is not a special needs class, but there are some other kids with similiar things.

Anyone have experiences to share?
Amanda

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Registered: 10-03-2004
Fri, 02-10-2006 - 3:25pm

Dear Amanda,

Yes, Malcolm (age 8, PDD-NOS) has been studying Tae Kwondo now for over a year and progressing very fast. He is now sparring, and the concentration and precision he and 2 of his buddies (verbal PDD kids he studies with) fight with is WONDERFUL to watch. He goes to the great big class every once in awhile and also does very well, but he's not interested in lots and lots of hours of Tae Kwondo. I keep thinking that when he's a little older, I will take him to see some tournaments and those trophies might encourage him to REALLY get into it. But otherwise, he is learning and getting stronger and interacting with other kids and respectful to his sensei. This is a regular program also, not special needs, but the teacher understands and is kind. Although he is also demanding, and the boys are up to it.

It was, however, very funny to see the 3 of them jumping up and down in excitement after their first time breaking boards with their feet!!! Also, Malcolm's buddy can NOT yet stop the Kung Fu yelling he does all through sparring, even though the sensei is trying very hard to break him of the habit. He clearly thinks he is in kung fu movie, too cute!

My sister-in-law, a filmmaker, made a terrific DVD of the 3 of them practising in uniforms before a testing and set scenes of their routines to the song "Kung Fu Fighting" ... very fun for us all to watch.

Sara
ilovemalcolm

Avatar for manda28
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Registered: 03-27-2003
Fri, 02-10-2006 - 5:13pm

Hi Sara.
Aaron is also very into the breaking the boards bit. Another cute thing was... they recently brought out this big padded thing that the kids are supposed to run and kick. Aaron and another little boy were facing me when they got it out. Aaron got this excited look on his face, turned excitedly to the boy next to him, and they both grinned big. I loved seeing that little interaction.

I know that eventually they work up to sparring. I am not sure how that will work out. Aaron is very afraid of being hit, fallling, and such. But, a friend of mine owns a Kung Fu school about an hour from where I live. He says he has a couple of PDD kids who were reluctant at first, but now enjoy sparring. I think if Aaron works up to it slowly it might be ok.

What got you interested in putting Malcolm in?

Amanda

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Registered: 10-03-2004
Fri, 02-10-2006 - 5:27pm

Hi back, Amanda,

The first thing that got us interested is that one of Malcolm's buddy started a few years before him and they just must do all things together! they take swimming lessons together, ride horse together, went to day camp together, etc.

The second thing is the school, which we love, is 2 blocks away from our apt. in NYC. So we literally fall out the door and are there.

Also, we went to a Tae Kwondo birthday party at this particular school held for an older boy (severe Asperger's, part of one of Malcolm's social skills therapy group a few years back) who studies privately there, and we were all very taken by this particular teacher.

So Malcolm agreed to try it. I think he really enjoys going. Actually, with him, if he DOESN'T enjoy something, I always hear about it ... and he goes to class and even practises willingly, so that's a good sign. It's not with the love and enthusiasm he has going to ride HORSES, but he is super good at Tae Kwondo and it shows. He likes being good at things, no shock really, huh?

By the way, the sparring is controlled and the pads they wear lighten the sensations. Nothing happens they are really unprepared for, unlike most of life. They LEARN to watch for the punches, kicks and adjust, very powerful stuff for our kids, very self-esteem and confidence building. I think it is VERY different than being afraid of being hit and falling, because you are so involved in the moment in sparring. There was no gradual building to sparring, they just started when the sensei deemed them ready, and they were...

Sara

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Registered: 03-27-2003
Fri, 02-10-2006 - 5:40pm

Amanda,

I'm glad you posted this question, as I have been thinking about enrolling Alex in Tae Kwon Do now that the holidays are over.

We tried soccer when he was 5 years old, and it was a major disaster. Practices were okay, but the games were just way too much sensory overload for him. I think any type of team sports will be the same for him, but martial arts are certainly a great alternative.

Thanks for bringing that up; it's good to hear what everyone says about it.

Laurie

Laurie

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Registered: 03-26-2003
Fri, 02-10-2006 - 6:09pm

Overall our experience has been good with a few glitches.

Cait took TaeKwonDo from age 6 to about 8. Mike took Karate for a while last year and then had to quit (stress) and just began taking it again a few months ago.

For Cait it did really help teach her coordination skills. For Mike it was the one sport he was really interested in and actually, when he is focussed he is quite good at it.

The downfall has been really when the instructors don't understand special needs. I have tried to explain to all of them but only this last one seems to understand more (I think) and that is because his wife is disabled. The other classes started out good when the kids were new at it and the instructors had more patience, but when my kids didn't learn the skills or couldn't follow directions as well as they should be able to it became frustrating for the instructors and thus frustrating for the kids. They really just had a hard time understanding autism.

I think the most recent guy is having a hard time with it too. The kids don't "look" disabled and he doesn't have a good memory for new kids (white belts) so I think he forgot. However, he is more patient than the other and Mike loves Karate so he tries really hard.

Some good things are that Mike tends to be the one who memorizes the names of the moves easily and he is rather particular about how he does them with an enthusiastic "Ki-ya!" everytime. So it looks pretty good, but keeping him focussed and not stimming during more indpendent type practice or overstimulating activities is hard. They also have a really hard time learning the forms for some reason. That old motor planning mixed with attending and memory I think.

Renee

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Fri, 02-10-2006 - 6:17pm

Hi, Laurie.

I am so glad you found this helpful. Another thing you might want to do, which is how we got Aaron started.... First we explained what it was and asked aaron if he wanted to try it. He said yes, so we took him to the school. He went to one class and smiled the whole time. So he went to another class. Then we signed him up for a one-month trial to see if he would continue to enjoy it before we spent any more money on it. So you might want to find a school that would let you observe or just try it first.

Like Sara said, it seems to be good for the self esteem . The first words he said to his granpa today were, "I got another stripe on my belt!" I also enrolled him for the social aspect. I wanted to give him something in common with other boys.

Amanda

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Registered: 01-20-2006
Fri, 02-10-2006 - 8:50pm

My son did it when he was four. He really tried and seemed to enjoy it ok but he was really uncoordinated when it came to the moves. When the instructor talked, my son was usally looking around. But he enjoyed it and didn't seem to notice he was doing things differently than anyone else so that's all that mattered to me.

My son does really like soccer now (5 yrs old), though for a long time it seemed like he was in his own world. The ball and kids would go one way and he was still running the other direction. He never really knew the difference and I was just glad he was getting some exercise and interacting with the kids. He did seem to improve towards the end and wants to do it again this spring. The parents were so supportive and would cheer whenever my child or any child did anything so that was great. My son also does not like to do competitive things or play a game where he might lose, but they did not emphasize winning or even take score and being on a team, I think that helps.

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Registered: 01-22-2005
Sat, 02-11-2006 - 11:51am

CJ (9, AS) starte Tae Kwon Do last summer. We started it just as a summer thing to hopefully help with coordination but it was also a daddy and me kind of thing.

His coordination has come so far. Last summer, he JUMPED over a small pile of grass on the sidewalk. Before TKD, he would have stopped at looked at it while trying to figure out a way around it. He has also begun skipping. It is so cool!

DH is at the same belt level as CJ. The sensei won't have Chris advance faster than CJ. We want him to stay motivated.

DH has to do the stretching one on one with CJ as he does not mirror well. But there are a couple of assistant instructors that come to this class primarily to work with CJ one on one.

Everyone has been SUPER supportive and understanding. This is a small group as it is on the Army installation we live on. It is about 1 block from our house, so in the Spring, DH and CJ will start riding their bicycles.

The guys love it so much, that Matthew (4, NT) will start in April when he turns 5.

WHOO HOOO! I'll have an hour 3 times a week to myself! I can't wait!

Crystal

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Registered: 10-03-2004
Sat, 02-11-2006 - 2:57pm

Just a little Malcolm Tae Kwondo update from today.

Today, they were sparring and there was a scheduling snafu with another class, so the boys got to go finish their spar session in the grownup studio ... cool enough all by itself. But apparently the sensei decided to rework some old forms and Malcolm objected, rather insubordinately. (I wasn't there, there isn't anywhere to comfortably watch that studio)

I actually wish I had seen it because I am here to tell you that I myself would be VERY cautious about talking back even slightly to this sensei, he is intimidating ... although as mentioned before, he is actually very kind. ANYWAYS, Malcolm was dressed down, I'm sure firmly but not meanly, as is the sensei's style --- and then made to do 10 pushups. Apparently Malcolm did cry, while he did the 10 pushups, AND finished the class. I also think something like this has happened before, so it's not the first time Malcolm has cried in class, but he has always finished class well.

He didn't want to talk to me about it after class, sensei did tell me, but said everything is fine, no big deal. This aspect of the Tae Kwondo has really been wonderful for Malcolm, a place to really drill dealing with those big emotions while practising discipline. What he is learning is that he can cry and keep going, still get those emotions under check and not have to quit. Invaluable.

Sara
ilovemalcolm

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Sat, 02-11-2006 - 6:28pm

Sounds like the self-control aspect of Tae Kwon Do is coming along for Malcolm!

Aaron's instructor also doesn't tolerate any misbehavior in class. He also does pushups. Aaron has not been singled out for them yet. But one day, the whole class was rowdier than usual and everybody had to do them.

I know I am being paranoid but, I hope things go as well when Aaron goes to yellow belt and the expectations are higher.

Amanda

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