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Caroline,

I enjoyed you article:
Autism and Martial Arts

It came at a very good time for my 16 yr old son and I.

We actually decided to enter him into Tai Chi classes, because in addition to learning more about his body - this gave him breathing and meditation techniques. It forces him to slow down and think about things.

When a few months ago my mom discovered a karate class being taught by a local youth pastor, she mentioned it to my son - and he said he'd rather stick with the Tai Chi, he is enjoying it that much!

It is kind of funny, because he is the only teen in the class, the next youngest person is in his 30s, and the majority are in their 50-60s. Our instructor is 67 (although you would never guess it by looking at him - and I would definitely never want to try to match him in a fight!)

The only other martial art he is interested in is the Brazilian Capoeira - the dancing fight. He likes it, because it combines dance, gymnastics, and martial arts. But we can't find one near us. I must admit that it does look really cool, though!

Michelle - that is so great! I know a child with Asperger who is doing very well with martial arts. He like the discipline and the structure and the focus.

Michelle,

What you're doing for your child is great and I'm glad he's enjoying it. Capoeria is a cool art and I've loved watching it. There aren't many though in the country that teach it yet, but keep on the lookout. It's popularity is spreading and there are more schools going up all the time.

There is a school in Atlantsa, but that's over an hour drive for us - we'd be at each others throats if we did that every week.

But I'm looking at some hip-hop classes for him, and he may start tumbling where my daugter cheers. Having guys on a cheer team is alsways a big advantage!

The right instructor with the right motivation and intelligence can improve a child with this condition. Suggest you get the person involved in this for as much social side as anything else.
Goodluck

Michelle - what if you got some DVDs on it and then put up a sign or two asking if others would be interested in learning it too? That could be a lot of fun, if you got a group that got together once a week and learned together ...

Or maybe if you wrote the instructor that's an hour away and asked him if he knew of anyone in the area who could help out?

Lisa's suggestion about writing or calling the instructor that's 1 hour away isn't a bad one actually. It's actually how I got started in doing some teaching. I had moved away from my instructor (by nearly 2 hours) and would visit him from time to time to keep myself sharp. But there was someone who found us on the web and wanted to start training. He happened to end up being near where I had moved to and so I was able to pair up with him and do some training. Every other month we'd make a trip to the main school to get our development critiqued and then the next set of development areas. I had more experience so while we weren't at the school, I became his instructor and helped develop him some more. It worked out really well because he got 1-on-1 training and I had a chance to instruct and train.

You know Caroline,
I was just reading back over this article and it made me start thinking - a parent with a child on the Spectrum really needs to match the type of martial art to the temperment of their child.

One of the initial reason we chose Tai Chi over some of the more "fighting style" arts, was because Michael has a rage problem, and has a history of attacking people when pushed beyond his limit.

It's like I told my mom when she 1st mentioned him taking karate "I don't want to teach him how to beat me up better!"

But the Tai chi has such a calming and meditative influence, that it really worked out for him.

I would not recommend an art such as Tae Kwan Do for an autistic child who already acts out violently.

Agreed there are some limitations to the styles based on the need. I would say however the field is far more open than limited and highly dependant upon the teacher; thus all the more reason to go in and talk to the teacher first and get a feel for them.

For the defense of Tae Kwan Do, a good instructor will always instruct how to control anger and when it's appropriate to use force. I've meet some Tae Kwan Do masters who are so meditative you'd just want to sit in their aura and feel the calming essence pour over you. Some children need the constant stimulus of fast movement to keep their interest. Again, all depends on the instructor and the child and making it "click".

I think Tai Chi is a great choice; just offering though that other Martial Arts styles are still helpful.