© All materials are copyrighted by The American Taekwondo Association. No unauthorized use is permitted. 1 Karate Kids With Autism Martial arts training for kids with autism. How to make it a great experience for the child and the instructors!

© All materials are copyrighted by The American Taekwondo Association. No unauthorized use is permitted. Learn strategies and tactics for working with children with autism… –It’s not that much different from good Karate for Kids instruction! Learn how to fund raise with AutismSpeaks.org to… –Generate members for your school –Increase public awareness for your school –Raise money for Autism research Goals

© All materials are copyrighted by The American Taekwondo Association. No unauthorized use is permitted. Why Be Concerned About Autism? Autism affects lots of kids… –Some studies show as many as 3% of kids ages 3-10 could be diagnosed with autism They’re likely in your school right now –Often parents haven’t identified their kids They may bring their kids to us because of other behavioral issues Kids with autism can develop normally –Early intervention helps much more than late

© All materials are copyrighted by The American Taekwondo Association. No unauthorized use is permitted. Autism (Autism Spectrum Disorder or ASD) is diagnosed by professionals –They use the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual also know as the DSM-IV (IV for revision 4) –If you think a child has autism, suggest they get their physician to evaluate Some characteristics: –Difficulty in social interaction –Difficulty in verbal & nonverbal communication –Repetitive behaviors Who Are Kids With Autism?

© All materials are copyrighted by The American Taekwondo Association. No unauthorized use is permitted. High Functioning Autism –Often referred to as kids with IQ > 80 Asperger’s Syndrome –ASD without the communication issues Who Are Kids With Autism?

© All materials are copyrighted by The American Taekwondo Association. No unauthorized use is permitted. Social challenges can include –Difficulty engaging in everyday interactions –Not as responsive at early age –Delayed babbling –Difficulty playing social games –Prefer to play alone For Instructors, this means… Symptoms – Social Challenges

© All materials are copyrighted by The American Taekwondo Association. No unauthorized use is permitted. Communication challenges can include –Delayed babbling, talking and learning to gesture –Difficulty combining words into meaningful sentences –Difficulty sustaining a conversation –Trouble with body language, tone or expressions For Instructors, this means… Symptoms - Communication

© All materials are copyrighted by The American Taekwondo Association. No unauthorized use is permitted. Symptoms – Repetitive Behaviors Repetitive behaviors can include –Hand flapping, rocking, jumping and twirling –Arranging and rearranging objects –Repeating sounds or words –Wriggling fingers in front of eyes (self- stimulating) –They may want things in a fixed order or place For Instructors, this means…

© All materials are copyrighted by The American Taekwondo Association. No unauthorized use is permitted. Children with autism occasionally have other medical issues such as: –Identifiable genetic condition –Seizure disorders –Sleep dysfunction –Sensory processing problems –Pica Other Associated Medical Issues

© All materials are copyrighted by The American Taekwondo Association. No unauthorized use is permitted. Physicians will determine treatments based on symptoms across the autism spectrum Treatments

© All materials are copyrighted by The American Taekwondo Association. No unauthorized use is permitted. Parents may have to work with: –Physician & other professional support such as Child psychologist Specialized developmental doctors Occupational therapists ABA habilitators Other therapists and caregivers –State or other support services –_________________________ It’s a lot of work! What Does A Parent Go Through?

© All materials are copyrighted by The American Taekwondo Association. No unauthorized use is permitted. Curriculum –Most students with autism should be able to work with kids in a regular classroom Curriculum should be designed for kids, not adults They may not need to memorize or perform as much curriculum as typical kids In some cases they may be better suited to a Tiny Tiger class –More severe special needs may also be better suited with private lessons In addition or instead of regular class Identifying more severe: –Kids who don’t pay attention as well in a regular class –They are disruptive to the regular class Implications for Instructors

© All materials are copyrighted by The American Taekwondo Association. No unauthorized use is permitted. Instruction –Tactics and Techniques Personal Victory: A child with Autism seems to others as if they have a discipline challenge and most times are punished for what they doing wrong. These children benefit from praise as much, or if not more than most children. Find what they do great and build off of that Use Tiny Tiger approaches: such as following along; repeating verbally the names of the movements; mirror teaching; fun, simple verbal uses of movement ie: power punch, double block instead of double outer forearm block Visual Tools: such as blocker pads, noodles, xray paper Implications for Instructors

© All materials are copyrighted by The American Taekwondo Association. No unauthorized use is permitted. Instruction –Tactics and Techniques Don’t over correct: Children with Autism can be temperamental and get frustrated very easily –Use praise instead of criticism –If the child’s temper tends to escalate, make sure a parent or a caregiver is available in case the child needs to be removed from class Implications for Instructors

© All materials are copyrighted by The American Taekwondo Association. No unauthorized use is permitted. Facility –No changes need to be made to your school –When at an external facility Watch out for possible distractions Use a spot on floor or a designated place to stand ______________? Implications for Instructors

© All materials are copyrighted by The American Taekwondo Association. No unauthorized use is permitted. Parents –Educate all the parents: Parents of the typical kids may be confused about what’s happening on the floor They need to understand that you and your instructors are trained to work with children with all different types of special needs and will help all students achieve their goals based on their level of ability Personal Victory: they need to know that a child that can barely learn 4 parts to a side kick and learns it well is just important as a child that can learn to kick straight up in the air with a side kick Implications for Instructors

© All materials are copyrighted by The American Taekwondo Association. No unauthorized use is permitted. Parents (continued) –Educate all the parents: Parents of the typical kids may be confused about what’s happening on the floor The children can learn from and benefit from each other. Having posters of ATA working with Autism, making statements about working with individual groups with autism or other special needs, posting of children listed in the top ten for special abilities are all ways to educate your normal body of students that you specialize in working with children and students with all types of special abilities Implications for Instructors

© All materials are copyrighted by The American Taekwondo Association. No unauthorized use is permitted. Sales –There is no significant difference between sales or commitments between kids with autism and other students –Private lessons Charge real fees for private lessons You can charge for a package or higher monthly fee for private lessons Implications for Instructors

© All materials are copyrighted by The American Taekwondo Association. No unauthorized use is permitted. Marketing –Internal Marketing Referral systems will work better if parents know we work with kids with special needs –External Marketing AutismSpeaks.org Implications for Instructors

© All materials are copyrighted by The American Taekwondo Association. No unauthorized use is permitted. Learned some things about identifying kids with autism –Social & communication challenges, repetitive behaviors Implications for us –Curriculum –Instruction –Sales –Marketing Using the AutismSpeaks.org program Have a great time with these great kids! Summary

© All materials are copyrighted by The American Taekwondo Association. No unauthorized use is permitted. What To Do Next…