3 Challenging Children and Learning Disabilities

Karate instructors deal with a wide variety of children. Some are quiet, dedicated and

disciplined while others always seem to be staring off in the distance, talking and fidgeting

or disrupting other students. And of course, most students fall somewhere in-between.

These challenges can be tied to personality types, lack of interest and other parameters but

they also may be symptomatic of one or more disorders. Increasing awareness of the

disorders can help make you more effective when dealing with special needs children. This

section presents some of the more prevalent disorders and some general teaching

strategies.

3.1 Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

As of 2007, approximately 9.5% (5.4 million) of the U.S. children ages 4-17 years of age have been

diagnosed with ADHD. This is a 22% increase from 2003 to 2007. Furthermore, studies have

concluded that karate training has a positive impact on children with ADHD and many teachers,

Doctors and counselors urge parents to have their ADHD children participate in karate to help

improve their behavior. The moral of the story is that there is an extremely good chance every

karate instructor will have one or more children with ADHD in their classes. This is not necessarily

bad news, it just means that it’s worthwhile to understand the disorder better and learn how to help

set these children up for success. The good news is that all of the teaching strategies described in

this section also apply to other students.

3.1.1





























ADHD Symptoms

Problems taking turns

Going from one uncompleted activity to another

Difficulty being quiet. They will often play in a loud voice

Talk excessively

Do not seem to listen

Poor eye contact

Decreased coordination

Less mature than same age peers

Fidgety

Easily distracted

Difficulty with timed tasks

Forgetful

May hear/understand only part of what is said

Difficulty standing in line

Page 9

3.2 Autism Spectrum Disorder (Aspergers/Autism)

Autism is a spectrum of disorders where children have difficulty relating to the outside world. Thus,

it is often hard for them to have many friends or engage in “normal” activities. They may have

difficulty understanding other people’s feelings or their point of view. Also, they may become fixed

on one particular aspect of a subject. Severely autistic children are rare in the dojo because of the

intense challenges getting through to them.

Aspergers is a high functioning disorder on the autism spectrum. It’s considered high functioning

because people with this disorder can function successfully in society and in class. Children with this

syndrome often are socially awkward, fail to develop friendships, have limited interests and have

communication problems including poor nonverbal communication. They also often have poor eye

hand coordination, may be overly clumsy and may exhibit odd body movements. On the other hand,

individuals with Asperger syndrome often have normal or even superior intelligence.

Like ADHD, Asperger’s prevalence is on a rapid rise so it is quite likely that you will encounter one or

more students with this disorder in your dojo.

3.3 Tourette’s syndrome

Tourette’s is commonly thought to be a disease where people are prone to sudden uncontrollable

and inappropriate outbursts, but this is true only in a minority of cases. The most common

symptoms are “ticks” or sudden involuntary muscle spasms. Students may also have to rub their

hands together or make a similar repetitive motion.

3.4 Teaching Strategies



Reduce distractions - if possible, try not to have two easily distractible children next to each

other and try to reduce unnecessary distractions. It’s not reasonable to expect a totally

quiet class void of distractions but you can limit the unnecessary distractions. For instance,

do not allow parents to communicate with or get the attention of their children during class.

Also limit the chatter from people on and off the deck.

Give short, direct commands – if you give a long rambling command, the student will have

forgotten the first part by the time you get to the end.

Teach in smaller, more manageable chunks – Teach no more than 4 to 6 movements at a

time – less is definitely better.

Don’t pre-judge – These kids are often labeled “problem kids” from school or their peers.

Let them know that they have a clean slate with you. As teachers, we have to believe in all

our students. It may take a while but you’ll find untapped potential within.

Develop rapport – many of these kids have few actual friends. While it is not your job to be

their friend, respecting you and knowing that you are “in their corner” will help their self-

esteem and make them more receptive to you.









Page

10



Be consistent and fair with discipline – Overusing discipline tends to dilute its value. Use all

your techniques / resources to influence the “right” behaviors. Also, remember these

children will provide you a lot of opportunity to discipline them so don’t overdo it and make

sure you are fair and consistent with the rest of the class as well. If you warn, then follow

through.

Reinforce the desired behaviors - sometimes children will act up just to get attention.

Praising them for things they do well will help alleviate this problem. Also, sometimes it’s

hard to find a great technique worthy of a compliment so praise them for their effort.

Be specific and positive – Saying “Keep your leg straight” instead of “don’t bend your knee”

will help reinforce the right way and give less room for misinterpretation.

Reinforce structure – if a kid says “I want to play a game” remind him who is in charge.

Be patient – Above all, it will take a longer time, but the students will learn. Practice basics

repeatedly.

Speak Pleasantly - If you want an ADD or ADHD child to listen to you, try speaking slowly,

quietly and briefly. Children who are used to getting yelled at tune out the yelling just like

instructors tune out children who whine and complain all the time. It also helps to make eye

contact before beginning to speak so you know you have the child’s attention.

Helpers - Most kids love being helpers and kids often tend to learn better from kids. Instead

of teaching a technique repetitively which tends to bore kids and lose their attention. Have

each kid model the technique and have the kids practice.













Page

11