What do you know about Tae Kwon Do and kids with disabilities? UPDATE post 11

[binny]

My youngest (age 10) has some issues, among them ADHD and CAPD, her therapist suggested we enroll her in Tae Kwon Do. She explained that it would help Karissa with balance, "knowing where her body is", and coordination as well as making her stronger physically and mentally.

I spoke with the instructor that she suggested and he is well known for his work with kids with disabilities. He asked first what we were hoping to accomplish with this and then he explained what he thought he could do for us. I was really impressed with his attitude.



So what do you think? I think it would be great for her self confidence in addition to the physical aspects of it.

Does anyone have any experience with this? Thanks!

 

[LuvOrlando]

If everyone is on the same page I say give it a go

 

[golfgal]

Our kids have all gone through TKD and their instructor was amazing with kids with disabilities. I have another friend that is a TKD instructor and he has special classes for kids with disabilities (Downs mostly). I say go for it. It will help her with balance, coordination, etc.

 

[mjkacmom]

Ds7 has a brown belt, and is testing for his next one next weekend. He's undiagnosed ADHD, but you'd never know it watching him in that class, that he takes twice a week, and has for about 2 1/2 years straight. I'm so impressed with all the combinations he's learned, and the Korean. He also plays a lot of sports, but the ADHD creeps in with those still. However, he behaves perfectly in TKD.

 

[binny]

Thanks


From everything Ive read it seems like it would be something really positive for her. My only concern was that it would discourage her if she wasnt able to do well at it.






PS after rereading my OP I felt I should add, she does have a lot of disabilities in addition to the ADHD and CAPD. I am well aware that those are not concerned "disabilities" She is "undiagnosible but has many neurological challenges" according to one Dr. the ADHD and CAPD are just contributing factors and part of her difficulty with this particular activity.

 

[Holly]

My six year old daughter, who has autism (Asperger's) and a lot of sensory issues, has been taking Tae Kwon Do for 7 months and loves it.

It has definitely helped with her balance and coordination. She couldn't do one jumping jack or sit up when she started but it has really helped build trunk strength and endurance.

I hope your daughter likes it

 

[Chelley00]

DS14 has ADD, and karate was a LIFESAVER for him. They teach self control and respect, and that really clicked with him and helped him remember it in school as well. He also competed, and won a national championship in kata and one in sparring. That did WONDERS for his self esteem.

My brother and SIL own a tae kwon do studio in Texas and they work with disabled kids as well.

Just make sure you visit school with DD. Most places will let you visit a couple of times and participate in class, and you can watch how the instructor deals with your DD. We went to one school and I wasn't impressed with the instructor, but the next place we visited was just it. DS took karate for 6 years but recently gave it up because soccer has taken over all his time.

 

[kwelch10377]

I don't know about Tae Kwon Do, but a friend of mine owns a brazilian jujitsu school and has a good amount of kids with disabilities. He says he does wonders for them in regards to confidence.

I think a good teacher is key, I went to watch one of his classes and he does such a great job at making sure none of the kids feel discouraged. He does have several classes of each age level and he said that making sure they are learning with the right group of kids is also key.

 

[rie'smom]

My nephew who is severely dyslexic is enrolled in one of the martial arts- sorry I don't remember which one but he's done very well.
My daughter who has ADHD was a competition cheerleader for several years. It's great for the kids who might have struggles in school to have a place where they can shine and extracurriculars are sometimes that place. It helps to gives them self discipline.

 

[golfgal]

Thanks


From everything Ive read it seems like it would be something really positive for her. My only concern was that it would discourage her if she wasnt able to do well at it.






PS after rereading my OP I felt I should add, she does have a lot of disabilities in addition to the ADHD and CAPD. I am well aware that those are not concerned "disabilities" She is "undiagnosible but has many neurological challenges" according to one Dr. the ADHD and CAPD are just contributing factors and part of her difficulty with this particular activity.

When my oldest was taking classes there were 2 girls in his class. One with cerebral palsey and the other with an unknown neurological disease that looked like CP. The instructor expected them to do as well as they could possibly do but also understood that their movements would not be as sharp as others. The one girl with CP was also deaf and had an interpreter with her in the gym as well.

 

[binny]

Well we took them today and I am SO glad that we did! They were both able to keep up pretty well and the instructors were really nice! Everyone was respectful and people pitched in all over the place. You can tell that people really love what they do there.

I have never seen either of them pay that much attention to anything for the whole hour. They were so happy. You should have seen them! I am so proud of both of them. They asked if there was class tomorrow because they really want to go back as soon as they can. Now I wonder why we didnt do this sooner

 

[binny]

Thank you for your responses. I really do appreciate them~!

 

[rie'smom]

It's great that they loved the class! You know what's going to make you even happier-when you see how proud they are of themselves. Too often we as parents of children with disabilities see our children feel bad about themselves, so when they join a group, do well, and feel proud of themselves, there is absolutely nothing better in the world!

 

[binny]

It's great that they loved the class! You know what's going to make you even happier-when you see how proud they are of themselves. Too often we as parents of children with disabilities see our children feel bad about themselves, so when they join a group, do well, and feel proud of themselves, there is absolutely nothing better in the world!

exactly! Even just seeing them after their first class was amazing. They were so happy Another class tonight so hopefully that will be just as good.

 

[Pooh_Friend#1]

That is great they enjoyed the class. Where are they going?

 

[binny]

That is great they enjoyed the class. Where are they going?

ATA just South of us. It only takes us a few minutes to get there so thats nice too. There are a couple that are closer but from what I understand this is the best one.


I would highly reccommend them based on what Ive seen so far. Granted that is pretty limited but I was so impressed at how the lingering black belt students just stepped right up to the plate to help out the new kids. To me that says a lot about how the feel about the program. They were just there waiting for the class and when they saw that out class had a lot of new kids they all just kind of wandered over and found a buddy to help.