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We began offering a program for children and adults with autism and special needs in January 2010. The past several months have been most rewarding for us. We have been granted insight into the lives of some very special students and joined in their success as they grow their relationship with the physical world.
Many of you who have visited our website before are familiar with how our program began. For those of you new to the site, we'll share a little here about how the program got started. We have a long-time student, Thomas, who happens to have autism. Over the years that he has been at our school, Thomas has gained not only social skills concerning etiquette when dealing with others, but he has gained an understanding of his physical realm as well. To highlight our program, we use the following description:
Martial Arts is about joining the mind, body, and
spirit. In addition to training the body,
it provides a means to focus the mind and help
develop those skills needed to function in life.
The training focuses on movement and social development
and provides autistics with opportunities to develop
their motor skills, concentration, confidence and become more aware of themselves. In
addition, the classroom setting with other students provides
a means to practice socialization skills The classes provide a level of comfort to those living with autism and special needs, while introducing them to variability and acceptance of slow changes. Repetition, which is one of the cornerstones to how one trains, builds a level of assurance. All of these are important while learning to cope with the symptoms of autism and other special needs.
Though we cannot take credit for our students' success, this comes from their work, we are able to provide a structure and within that structure our students are able to grow and excel. Our goal in offering this program to others with autism is to hopefully foster some of the same growth opportunity that occurred for Thomas. We do not have any specialized training in autism, do not claim to have any such training and cannot guarantee any specific results. We are however, interested in what this experience could mean to others who are dealing with autism and other special needs. Watching the growth and success of another human being is one of the most rewarding experiences there is; to that end, we have endeavored with all our students.
A Few Important Guidelines
1. New environments can be stressful for anyone, so we ask that each student’s caregiver remain in class or seated in the lobby, depending on the student’s need.
2. Also, these classes are integrated within our regular program. In other words, this class is a regular class, not a special needs class and the established class environment helps to provide the necessary structure and model.
3. We do think that this class may be best suited to those with high functioning autism, autism spectrum disorder & special needs; however, depending on the severity we do elect to do an evaluation and consultation with parents and caregivers.
The Benefits of Our Martial Arts Class May Include:
Improved Social Skills
Self Control
Self Confidence
Discipline
Coordination
Please keep in mind that acclimation is often necessary;
some students may only go a few minutes of the first lessons,
but as time goes on the classes became easier, until students
are able to stay for the entire class time. If our
program, which is based on Ninjutsu and includes Aikijutsu (the forerunner to Aikido),
doesn't seem to work for you or your child, you may want to try
our Tai Chi program which focuses on slower movements to develop
motor skills and is accompanied by soft meditative music. In
either class, the continuous and repetitive exercises and
movement sets are emphasized, which are important in helping
children and adults who are autistic or special needs make important connections to their physical world.
For Parents:
If you have a child with autism, ASD or other special needs and are looking to Martial Arts for help, there are some basic things to consider:
1. First and foremost, you should always consult your doctor before beginning any physical training. Having them as a partner in this endeavor will only strengthen its' possibility of success.
2. Be upfront with the instructor. Make sure you have a conversation with the head instructor of the school and your child's instructor. The two may not be the same and it is important that both of them are aware of the situation. Discuss your goals with them and make sure they are comfortable with working on your terms.
3. Observe the class in person, especially for the first few classes. Take the time to go into the class and observe. Do the other kids treat your child well? Does it seem like he or she is feeling comfortable and not frustrated? Is he or she receiving the proper level of encouragement? Some teachers don’t like this level of involvement from parents, but we highly encourage it.
4. Encourage your child to practice outside of the classroom and talk about the experience. Don’t make it a chore, but definitely find time right after class and then in between classes to encourage your child to think about what he or she learned. It will help reinforce the lessons. By doing so, they will also find themselves doing better in the classes and get a boost in confidence from it.
5. Consider joining the class yourself. One of the best things you can do, even if your child is not autistic, is to be involved in their lives. Martial Arts is for everyone and there is no reason why you cannot participate as well.
We currently have openings in our Monday evening (5:30PM) class and Saturday class (12:00PM). We highly encourage interested students to visit these classes so that we may assist in finding the best fit for you and your child or adult dependent. Please contact us using the form at the bottom of this page. Because every child is different, we want to make sure that we have the time set aside that is necessary for observation and assistance; some children are able to join in a class within minutes, others may take 40 minutes or more and we dedicate whatever time it takes. We will respond promptly to your request and arrange an appointment. We look forward to hearing from you!
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AUTISM PROGRAM