As part of our business section aimed specifically for those individuals thinking of taking up the martial arts as a career, Lesley Jackson uses both her first hand experience and the thoughts of other martial arts instructors on how to teach pupils with special needs and/or learning difficulties.
As well as being a martial artist, during the day I am a school teacher in a very large comprehensive school. I teach the full range from ages 11-18 in a fully inclusive classroom and this will usually include at least one or two students with an individual special need, the most common of which tends to be a learning difficulty linked to either Attention Deficit (Hyperactivity) Disorder (ADHD) or them being somewhere on the Autism spectrum. There is one particular young man in Year 11, who has grown to be about 6 feet in height and seemingly in width as well and for the purposes of this article I shall name Jack, I have in my class whom I have taught in my English class for about four years now. His learning difficulties are severe; he suffers from acute ADHD, is educationally sub-normal and suffers social isolation as a result. Being a first aider, I am also responsible for handing out the student’s prescription medicines and I was most shocked to see this young man’s dosage of eight tablets of Ritalin a day, enough apparently to keep Jack sufficiently docile enough to stay in a mainstream school. Needless to say, Jack has extremely low self-esteem and I personally fear for his future when he leaves school. However, as I was on my way to my Taekwondo class that evening I couldn’t help but think, could an ADHD sufferer like Jack benefit from learning a martial art? Would he gain from the class’s secure structure and discipline and could a martial art help him increase his self-esteem enough to protect himself from being sucked into a bleak life that may involve prison if he falls into the wrong crowd of people?
Although I would like to touch upon a variety of special needs within this article, the majority of it will be concerned with the condition of ADHD, as this appears to be the most common complaint come across in the British inclusive classroom. According to figures from the medical company Janssen-Cilag, “ADHD affects 3-5% of school-age children. This means that the average UK classroom will include at least one child with ADHD.” Any other school teachers reading this will account for these figures as being fairly accurate. For those unfamiliar with the symptoms of this disorder, they are; abnormally high levels of inattentiveness, hyperactivity and impulsiveness. This behaviour will take place at home and school and is beyond the control of a normal ‘naughty child’.
The Benefits for the ADHD Student
So how could a child or young person suffering from this frustrating condition benefit from practising a martial art? These are multi-fold and once correctly diagnosed and combined with their medical therapy could give the sufferer a framework of social skills that non-sufferers take for granted. Susan Saulny of the New York Times in her article ‘Turning Fidgets into Karate Kicks’ describes “karate is therapy” and when “coupled with medication does a lot more than medication alone.” These benefits could include:
· Physical Exercise – the seemingly sedentary life of the modern western teenager is ill-suited to the ADHD sufferer’s symptoms of hyperactivity. It is hardly any surprise that a young person with such excesses of physical energy will become disruptive in a school room, so why not let them burn this off in the form of an intense physical activity? Dr. Abida Ripley in her article, “Martial Arts Practise as Treatment for Children with ADHD” states the benefits of practising a martial art to, “include a healthier body, a more oxygenated brain and a better processing of the potential dietary culprits of hyperactivity-processed sugars and high-fat junk food.” Also, with any luck the physical demands of the martial art class will fatigue their body thereby taking the impulsive edge away from their behaviour.
· Discipline – within most martial arts classes, there is a code of conduct for all students and its rules and hierarchy are clearly laid out in they way students stand in line, paying full attention to their instructor. The oath said at the beginning of all Taekwondo classes clearly lays out the rules and appropriate use of Taekwondo (ie., hardly ever) and these are backed up with a clear respect for the instructor and senior members and rules of conduct in class. More often than not and I’ve only ever seen this once, a breach of these will result in a consequence such as extra press-ups or the dreaded burpees but to the ADHD sufferer, this can be a reassuring element that lets them know exactly what is expected of them, what will happen if they do misbehave and rewards them in the form of praise or a new belt if they do well.
· Repetitive Actions – when we practise our floor work and learn a new technique or pattern we tend to repeat the actions over and over until we start to get it right. Learning movements by rote is an action that will actually be reassuring to the ADHD sufferer as, according to Matthew K Morand in his study of “Martial Arts on Behaviour of Male Children with ADHD” the, “repeated movements and continual practise associated with martial arts necessitates the student to attend more frequently to learn.” For the students who cannot focus their attention the repetitive motions of a martial art can help them organise their thoughts in their minds where chaos can reign.
· Meditation – some martial arts, such as Aikido, contain a certain amount of meditation which could also benefit the ADHD student, helping them to clear their chaotic mind and focus against distractions. Of course, this is something that will take a great deal of time to learn but for the more advanced martial practitioner with ADHD, meditation could help them to sooth and regain control over their own minds.
· Socially Acceptable Behaviour – the impulsive nature of the ADHD sufferer can make their behaviour breech the boundaries of what is considered socially acceptable. The class discipline and learning with bite-sized goals that martial arts classes naturally pertain to positively reinforces the individual and makes them part of a group with visible goals, via the colour belt system. As one mother in Susan Saulny’s article stated, “karate became an outlet for her son’s aggression, but it also taught him how to stay calm and focussed.” Dr Ripley further reinforces this as, “the martial arts training and tenets become an ingrained part of the character before that character is fully formed.” Thus, the young student learns good behaviour before it is too late.
Although the theory is both positive and productive in its avocation for the students, be under no allusion that dealing with them on a practical level is an easy task. A student with special needs, including those with ADHD, can be at times demanding, frustrating and dare I say it, irritating to teach. You will sometimes need to draw upon superhuman reserves of patience and they can leave you drained after an hour’s lesson but this energy spent will have enabled your student to gain both physically and spiritually and the return once they have learned a pattern or technique that they are dying to show off to their parents, will be extremely rewarding. Once accepting a student with special needs into your class, creating a framework and planning for their particular need will help to ensure that you can run your lesson inclusively for all students without drawing your attention too far away from your other class members who have paid for a lesson as well.
Practical Ideas
First of all, the best way of anticipating your student’s special needs is by getting as much information about their condition from their parents or carers. For example, what medication they take and when, what behaviours or symptoms they will display and how they best deal with this themselves and situations you should avoid putting them or you in to cause minimal disruption. Stephen Nash, a martial arts teacher from the Percy Headley Academy for Disability Sports suggests that instructors should, “observe each individual’s talents within the framework ……and focus on the challenges that they present to the student.”
You need to make the structure of your class very clear to your students; they should know clearly what is expected of them. For example, lining up in class and keeping quiet when you are teaching and the consequences if they do not comply. This could range from either sitting out of the lesson for a while or doing press ups after misbehaving; as long as the student knows ‘what and why’ they will be comforted by the structure of discipline that you have in place for them. When you see their attention start to wander, bring them back by either including their name in the sentence you are speaking or standing near them so they are aware of your presence. When doing pair work, ensure you pair them with a reliable partner who will keep them on track; this is where your black belt helpers are invaluable as they can take a part in giving your special needs student the attention they need. Keep your lessons at a brisk pace and change task regularly, if you stay for too long on one activity your student will ‘drift’ as this is the time when poor behaviour will display itself, pre-empt this by keeping them on their toes. Zoe Tizick, a special needs teacher from Coventry who also teaches a martial arts class for her students comments that lessons should be, “fast and fun, with races, pad kicking, punching, shouting (which they love after being told to be quiet all day) and shadow sparring to Rocky music.” She also stresses the need for, “clear instructions,” these must be kept quite specific and is particularly important with students who are on the Autistic scale; for example, instead of saying ‘let’s go through step sparring with your partner’ rephrase it to, ‘go through 3-step sparring numbers 1 to 10 with your partner, people with their backs to the wall to attack first.’
Positive Reinforcement
Once a student’s enthusiasm for your martial art has been captured, you may find they will be one of your most dedicated students as they can be extremely focused upon an activity. This can be particularly true with Autistic students as they will appreciate the technical nuances of a martial art and will want to learn all there is to know about it. If you do come into any problems with your special needs student, make sure you consult with their parent or carer as providing a united front is essential and they might be able to best advise you or even tailor their medication to your class (this is especially true with those that take Ritalin). Your student will thrive on the routine of coming to class and doing their exercises but also give them the chance to show off once in a while by perhaps allowing them to display a pattern or technique they’ve learnt to the class. This will give their self-esteem an enormous boost and rewarding them positively will encourage much quicker results. The idea of, “positive reinforcement” is stressed by Diane Dunlap Ph. D in her article, ‘Attention Deficit Disorder in the Dojang’ Zoe Tizick offers a practical tip on dealing with students with behavioural difficulties by using, “wall charts with stars for children with challenging behaviour, rewarding them if they complete enough stars on the chart within a lesson.”
Getting Publicity for your Martial Arts School
In my initial meeting with a new client, I always ask them to state their publicity goals. Once they’re done spouting “Oprah” and “Larry King” and I’ve gently guided them out of Fantasyland, what they often note is that they’re lacking local and regional publicity. To that I say, “Go national.” If you’re seeking to attract local newspapers, Web and magazine mentions, your national press mentions will draw them in like bees to honey.
Now that the benefits of martial arts for students with special needs have been put forward to you, hopefully you are thinking positively as an instructor about accepting a student with these needs into your school. Accepting and teaching a student with particular learning or behavioural needs will be challenging but extremely rewarding for both you and your student and further reinforces the concept that martial arts are about training the person, any person, as a whole; it isn’t just about kicking, punching and fighting. Diane Dunlap leaves us with this final piece of advice for instructors teaching students with a special need, “Consistency is another key component in providing good Taekwondo instruction to ADD students. ADD students tend to respond better when they know what to expect and when to expect it.” Actually, this is something that is true of all your students in class, not just those with a learning or behavioural condition.
Ripley Dr. , A: (2003) “An Awesome Alternative to Drugs: Martial Arts Practise as Treatment for Children with AD/HD” can be viewed at: http://www.milehighkarate.com/
Instructors and Teaching 
As part of our business section aimed specifically for those individuals thinking of taking up the martial arts as a career, Lesley Jackson uses both her first hand experience and the thoughts of other martial arts instructors on how to teach pupils with special needs and/or learning difficulties. 
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