How can I teach karate to an autistic child?

I am a martial arts instructor. I have been teaching one child, J, who has mild autism and does great out in class. Recently, I began teaching another mildly autistic child, Ray, martial arts as well. Ray is not taking to it nearly as well as J did. It%26#039;s hard to keep him still and he reads EVERYTHING. How can I start to go about teaching him?|||It%26#039;s great that you care enough to learn more about it so that you can help these kids! I am an Autism Therapist along with a martial arts practitioner/asst. instructor, if you want to email me with more information about the kids I would be happy to see if I can help at all! Because all kids are so different and their level of functioning varies so much, it%26#039;s hard to answer based on the info provided. Hope to hear from you! Good luck!|||My name is Corey Green and I produced the %26quot;first (and 2nd)person in history with autism to qualify for the Karate Nationals in the non-handicap division%26quot;. Go to cnn.com then videos and type in Karate and see 2 videos there. I%26#039;m also writing a book regarding this subject. greenskarate@msn.com Report Abuse
|||Lol yeah chris P it%26#039;s legal provided you have the parents permission. Here are some suggestions. Shihan J has already given you a pretty good answer, however here are some more suggestions.





Rather then ask in the martial arts section, even though you teach karate, another section that has people that are falmiliar with autism may be a better place for this question. Teaching is teaching right? Same basic principals whether it is Martial Arts or cooking.





Another idea is to try Autism specific chat rooms. I am sure there are some on the web. Also look for websites about autism, they can probably provide you with good teaching resources, as again teaching is teaching, no matter what teh subject.





I do not know a lot about autism myself, except that there are many forms and I would imagine that each child is different.





I hope this helps somewhat.|||Katana as usual has sage advice. I have a son with high functioning autism. Our school specialises in difficult students. We are on the state referral list. Patience is the first key, persistence is the second key, third is consistence. You need to maintain discipline in as pleasant a manner as you can. Keep the class moving at a fast pace. Sometimes you may think they are not getting it yet they are probably a step ahead of you. You need the parents to help reinforce you with the especially difficult students. If after 6 to 8 months you see little progress you may recommend to the parents something else. I have found it takes most autistic children and adults a little longer than average to settle in. When they do the often make great students. I had one student so severe he could not make eye contact for the first year. It was with great joy when I was in the receiving line when he made his first black belt rank. His Mom thanked us for giving her son a way to a rewarding life. They may try your patience but it may be worth it. There are as someone said on line resources to take advantage of. Basically try to treat them as normal as you can. Let the discipline of the school and the energy of the classes do the rest. Be mindful that they may not appear to be focused and with that you need to be patient. |||First question: You say you are an instructor? What rank and experience do you have?





Second: Do you understand how to teach to a child with Autism?





Ok, first thing if you only have two kids it will be hard to teach children that are Autistic. They need to the social structure of other children and should never be treated as different. Next get more training on how to teach...just being a black belt does not qualify someone as an instructor. Go to your Sensei and ask to learn.





Do research on Autism and understand it. It is not a crutch, it is not a problem for the child...it is just something they live with. Teach them and help them.|||most children have short attention spans, and are difficult enough, a child with autism is even more difficult.


i would suggest look at him more close and see what he does enjoy about karate, and start building up routines that peak his interest. you may have to take techniques from other systems and styles too.


as he starts enjoy these routes more add things slowly that he many not have taken to early, and try and make more of a game out of some of them.


hopefully it will spark his interest even more. karate may also not work for him too.


best of luck





nwohioguy makes a good point about this too|||Mrs. Davis, I have been where you are. I have worked with Creative Physical Fitness in the LA are. We work with students of special needs. My first student took 5 months to learn Kenpo Short Form One. Anyone who knows Kenpo knows short one is very simple. This child wanted to learn, but did not have the focus to learn on his own. You have to be genuinely concerned of their progress. Teach one on one as much as possible. Being fun is not enough, you have to show them their progress each time and build on it. Don%26#039;t let them forget their progress. These students literally slip out of our world and go into their own uncontrollably. Get him so focused on you that he takes you with him. Then help him establish a base in the here and now with you. I have had students who you would never know ever had autism and we are endorsed by the LA County School district. That is the best I can offer in this sort of forum.|||maybe you should painr them up if the one who picks it up quicker might influence the one who hasnt gotten it yet...it might help|||is that even legal?