autism and martial arts?

Question

does any one have any experiese with being autistc/aspergers yourself or others and who pratice a martial art?
can you give me the benfits and difficulties

Answer 1

Aspergers? Yes. With the right instructor, it can be very good for them. Autism in general, it depends on the severity.

Answer 2

I have extensive experience in teaching challenged students. I also have an autistic brother-in-law and from what I have observed and know from the center where he goes autism is in varying degrees and sometimes there may be other problems besides. Martial arts could benefit some of them that are higher functioning in reasoning and communication skills just as any athletic endeavor. The ones that are more severe probably would do better with swimming or just in a structured exercise class. Also students like this require a huge amount of time, patience and energy from the instructor and his staff. If you are considering this for someone then observe and shop around. Some schools, styles, and instructors are more tolerant, accepting and giving than others.

Answer 3

Martial arts can help bind the mind and body together more strongly. One of my instructors worked with the mentally and physically handicapped. He observed that in time students had more control over their movements and more confidence as well.

Martial arts are great for this, stretching helps improve range of motions when the student may not have been very physically active before. Repetitive drills teach the student to control their body and become stronger. The overall atmosphere helps teach discipline to mentally handicapped students who often have less self-control.

If you are looking to place someone in a class I would contact several dojos or instructors to ask their opinions on the matter. I doubt any would mind, but there may be some special circumstances. If you are looking to start a class then again seek out experience to help you on your way. Good luck.

Answer 4

I have Aspergers and studied Wado-Ryu as a teenager. As far as discipline, that's debatable, but it did help immensely with the associated clumsiness. We tend to focus on what we want to focus on. It's a hard-wiring issue unique to each person, so that's hard to define, but the physical benefits of confidence and poise are what I found. I went from being nervous about what was coming next to being able to defend myself efficiently, which led to fewer confrontations from those that saw me as an easy target, which up to that point I had been. My ability to play organized sports also greatly benefitted.Because of the Aspergers, I was able to focus on the movements a LOT more than the other students, so I got better, faster. We have a higher pain threshold too, so I was able to stretch farther and go longer than anyone else, which also increased my fitness. Bottom line, the benefits are almost entirely physical from my perspective, but worth it. My son, who is also has Aspergers is in Martial Arts at 4. Most Autistic/Aspergers kids do best in individual sports such as Martial Arts and gymnastics.

Answer 5

OK, I am an assistant instructor in our karate club (I help in the kids class) and we have a young boy with Tourette's syndrome. (Yes, I know, he is not autistic). But, what I can say is that all people/kids that are faced with these sort of challenges all require extra patience, assistance and encouragement. As the others wrote, you need to shop around for the club that seems to be the most encouraging/flexible/tolerant.
From past experience, I know that our club would happily accept the privilege of giving the person you are enquiring about, a chance to shine. : ¬ ))

P.S. The lad in our class is coming on nicely, he's such a 'happy little chappy' too!

Answer 6

This might sound like a really strange thing to claim but an autistic fighter is pretty good. Why? No ego. Period. The autistic mind does not comprehend ego so it doesn't succumb to self pressure or peer pressue. It follows a pretty laid out, by the numbers moves. If the autistic mind sees his/her attacker go one way, his/her mind says, "Sensei said to throw my back fist to the face and counter a reverse punch to the abdomen." Their mind doesn't say, "I'm a faster fighter. I'm a better fighter. I can beat this guy" or worse "I quit." So go ahead and mix the two. The more important issue is maturity. I've seen teens with autism do outstanding. I've seen elementary school kids with autism and appear to be hopeless.

Answer 7

Do a web search...there was a recent book written by a person with autism who dedicated a chapter or more to how the struccture of martial arts classes helped him tremendously. If I find it I'll edit this post...

Answer 8

I know someone who had a son with Aspergers. they tried martial arts to increase his focus and social skills. It did not work out. He couldn't handle the discipline of class. His attention span greatly countered the training.
Hypothetically, training sounds good but it is very difficult for them.

Answer 9

Aspergers - yes. The right instructor with the right motivation and intelligence can improve a student with this condition, have seen it with my own eyes. Suggest you get the person involved in this for as much social side as anything else; I like the team spirit I get from my club. Goodluck

Answer 10

I don't have personal experience with it, but I do that there are those that have trained. I know the dojo I go to has had one autistic student who went on to do pretty well before quitting about 2 or 3 months ago. Different studios may handle the issues involved differently, so it might be something you should ask your local dojo about and see what they recomend.

Answer 11

A fully functional Autistic child will work hard . They learn slowly , but what they learn never driffs from their memory. they cannot lie . they tell you what they know , but their time line is off sometimes. they are the most honest people & most active & hard working students that you can have. they give 100 % all the time. I know , because I have one. & he is a great student. His whole world is Karate. He does Traditional Goju Ryu . He lives to learn. although his capability is slower . When he does learn it , he is always very commited and accurate.
I have a young man that is a green belt . he asspires to be a black belt . I'm sure someday he will make it. Thanks, Chuck Trahan, 4 dan Renshi , Bushido Martial Arts. Espanola Ontario, Canada