The following letter was given to me a couple of years ago by Mr. Dennis Schaffer, grandfather of one of my autistic students, who had been training with me for several months. Mr. Schaffer and Ben are very close and have a very special relationship, despite the fact that Ben is severely autistic and does not speak!
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"MY GRANDSON BEN IS 13. HE WAS DIAGNOSED WITH AUTISM AT THE AGE OF 3 AND IS A SEVERE AUTISTIC WHO IS NON-VERBAL AND HAS MANY SOCIAL AND SENSORY ISSUES. BEN’S FAMILY PURSUES AN ACTIVE LIFESTYLE, HIS DAD IS AN AVID CYCLIST, HIS MOTHER AND BROTHER ARE PURSUING THEIR BLACK BELTS IN KARATE AT SAMURAI KARATE STUDIO IN COLUMBIA, SC.
BEN’S PRIMARY EXERCISE CONSISTS OF SWIMMING AT THE LOCAL POOL, WHICH IS OFTEN, ESPECIALLY DURING THE SUMMER. OTHER THAN SWIMMING, BEN SPENDS MOST OF HIS TIME, EITHER IN SCHOOL, OR AT HOME WATCHING HIS MOVIES AND PLAYING ON THE COMPUTER. HE REALLY DOESN’T CARE TO SOCIALIZE WITH OTHERS OR GO OUT THAT MUCH. EVEN IN-HOME THERAPY, CAN BE CHALLENGING FOR BEN AT TIMES.
BEN’S BROTHER, DANIEL STARTED TAKING KARATE AT SAMURAI KARATE STUDIO OVER A YEAR AGO, WHILE HIS DAD WAS IN AFGHANISTAN. AFTER SEVERAL MONTHS, BEN’S MOTHER, LYNN, JOINED THE KARATE STUDIO. ON SUNDAYS THE FAMILY GATHERS FOR DINNER. USUALLY AFTER DINNER, LYNN AND DAN SHOW THE FAMILY WHAT THEY HAD LEARNED THE PREVIOUS WEEK AT THE DOJO. BEN WOULD TRY TO BECOME INVOLVED, BY TRYING TO HUG HIS BROTHER DURING HIS KARATE ROUTINES.
MY DAUGHTER AND I DISCUSSED THE POSSIBILITY OF WHETHER OR NOT BEN COULD ENGAGE IN SUCH AN ENDEAVOR LIKE KARATE. WE READ ARTICLES, AND SPOKE WITH PROFESSIONALS WHO ARE INVOLVED WITH AUTISTIC KIDS. WE WERE TOLD THAT POSSIBLY A FEW INDIVIDUALS WITH MILD AUTISM MIGHT BE ABLE TO LEARN KARATE. BUT CHILDREN WITH MORE SERIOUS OR CLASSIC AUTISM SYMPTOMS WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO ENGAGE IN THIS TYPE OF ACTIVITY, SINCE THEY HAVE DIFFICULTIES IN IMITATING OTHER PEOPLE.ADDITIONAL CONCERNS WERE EXPRESSED, THAT TEACHING HIM ACTIVITIES LIKE KICKS AND PUNCHES MAY MAKE BEN MORE AGGRESSIVE OR CREATE SENSORY OVERLOADS, ETC.
FORTUNATELY FOR BEN, HIS PARENTS’ BELIEVE, THAT EACH CHILD WITH AUTISM IS UNIQUE, AND THAT ONE SET OF RULES DOES NOT ALWAYS APPLY ACROSS THE BOARD TO ALL KIDS. IN SPITE OF WHAT WE HAD LEARNED, AND BEEN TOLD BY INDIVIDUALS, THAT IT MIGHT BE TO HARD FOR BEN TO GRASP THE CONCEPT OF MARTIAL ARTS, MY DAUGHTER AND I APPROACHED SENSEI FELDT AND DISCUSSED THE IDEA OF DEVELOPING A CURRICULUM FOR KIDS WITH AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER. THEREBY, GIVING CHILDREN WITH AUTISM AN OPPORTUNITY TO PARTICIPATE IN PHYSICAL ACTIVITIES THAT COULD NOT ONLY BE BENEFICIAL TO THEM BUT ALSO SHARED WITH THEIR FAMILIES.
WITH THE HELP OF A BOARD CERTIFIED ABA THERAPIST, A LOT OF PATIENCE FROM SENSEI FELDT, AND BEN’S SHADOW (HIS MOM), A CURRICULUM WAS DEVELOPED AND IMPLEMENTED WHICH INCORPORATES FUN, EXERCISE, SELF-DISCIPLINE AND ALLOWS BEN TO ENGAGE IN A SPORT WHERE HE CAN ADVANCE AT HIS OWN PACE.
WHEN BEN FIRST PUT ON HIS GI AT HOME, YOU COULD SEE HE WAS VERY APPREHENSIVE AND NOT SURE WHAT WAS GOING TO TAKE PLACE. EVEN THOUGH HIS MOTHER TRIED TO ASSURE HIM THAT HE WAS GOING TO THE DOJO AND WOULD HAVE FUN, BEN WAS NOT CONVINCED.
THIS WAS BENS’ FIRST TRIP TO THE DOJO AND HE LIKED ALL THE MIRRORS, THE BALLS AND THE FREE STANDING HEAVY BAGS IN THE STUDIO. HE RAN AROUND THE STUDIO LOOKING AT EVERYTHING. THIS WAS TO BECOME HIS FIRST OF MANY SESSIONS WITH SENSEI FELDT.
SUBSEQUENT TRIPS TO THE DOJO NOW INCLUDED THE RITUAL OF TAKING OFF HIS SHOES AND PUTTING THEM IN THE SHOE BINS, BOWING IN AND STARTING HIS EXERCISE ROUTINE, TO INCLUDE, RUNNING (NOT HIS FAVORITE), JUMPING JACKS (HE REALLY LIKES THESE), SIT UPS (SMILES THE WHOLE TIME), PUSH UPS, ETC. AFTER THE EXERCISE ROUTINES, HE PRACTICES HIS BACK FIST PUNCHES, KICKS, ETC. AT THE END OF HIS KARATE LESSONS, HE PARTICIPATES IN THE MARTIAL ARTS CEREMONY WHERE HE KNEELS DOWN, BOWS AND THEN STANDS AND BACKS OFF THE MAT AND BOWS OUT TO HIS SENSEI.
I ATTEND AS MANY OF BEN’S SESSIONS AT THE DOJO AS POSSIBLE, AND AFTER THE THIRD OR FOURTH SESSION, MUCH TO MY SURPRISE, BEN BEGAN TO IMITATE SENSEI FELDT WHEN HE TOLD BEN TO KICK AND PUNCH. AS A MATTER OF FACT, BEN DOES MOST OF HIS TRAINING NOW, IMITATING HIS SENSEI.
BEN’S AGGRESSION HAS NOT ESCALATED AT HOME OR IN SCHOOL, IN FACT; HE SEEMS TO HAVE BETTER CONTROL WHEN HE HAS A MELTDOWN. THE WHOLE FAMILY HAS SEEN A CHANGE IN BEN SINCE HE BEGAN HIS KARATE TRAINING.
WHEN BEN PUTS ON HIS GI AT HOME TO GO TO THE DOJO, HE STARTS TO GIGGLE AND SMILE. WE KNOW THAT BEN REALLY LOOKS FORWARD TO HIS TUESDAYS AND THURSDAYS AT THE KARATE STUDIO. WHEN BEN ENTERS THE DOJO, HE TAKES OFF HIS SHOES WITHOUT ASSISTANCE AND BOWS IN ON HIS OWN. HE IS NOW WORKING ON HIS FORM AND IS LEARNING THE CEREMONIAL ASPECTS OF MARTIAL ARTS.
WATCHING BEN PERFORM HIS KARATE ROUTINES HAVE BECOME PRICELESS MOMENTS FOR ME. I HAVE BEEN AROUND BEN A GREAT DEAL SINCE HE WAS DIAGNOSED WITH AUTISM, AND I KNOW HOW HARD THINGS HAVE BEEN FOR HIM. TO SEE BEN ACCOMPLISH TASKS AND SEE HIM ENJOYING IT AT THE SAME TIME, BRINGS ME A GREAT SENSE OF PRIDE IN MY GRANDSON. IT REMINDS ME OF A QUOTE I ONCE READ THAT GOES:
“Placing one foot in front of the other, I’ve climbed to higher lengths. Reaching beyond my own limitations, to show my inner strength. No obstacle too hard, for this warrior to overcome. I’m just a boy(man) on a mission, to prove my disability hasn’t won.”
Robert M Hensel
BEN PUTS A GREAT DEAL OF EFFORT INTO HIS MARTIAL ARTS TRAINING AND THAT,
COUPLED WITH THE CONTINUAL PRAISE THAT HE RECEIVES FROM HIS SENSEI AND HIS FAMILY, MOTIVATES BEN TO KEEP ON TRYING.
WHILE I HAVE ALWAYS LOOKED FORWARD TO SUNDAY DINNERS WITH MY FAMILY, I MUST ADMIT, THERE IS A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF ANTICIPATION AND EXCITEMENT FOR ME WHEN I WATCH BEN JUMP INTO HIS “HORSE STANCE” AND HE SHOWS GRANDPA AND GRANDMA HIS BACK FIST AND FRONT KICKS. THESE ARE SPECIAL MOMENTS THE ENTIRE FAMILY WILL FOREVER CHERISH.
THANK YOU SENSEI FELDT, FOR YOUR PATIENCE AND CARING ABOUT THESE VERY SPECIAL KIDS WHO BRING OUR FAMILIES SO MUCH PRIDE AND JOY."
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Thank you sir for such a beautiful letter and giving me the privilege of working with your grandson.
If you would like more information about our program for autistic children, please call me at 803-462-9425.
Sensei Chris Feldt
Samurai Karate Studio
803-462-9425
2000 Clemsons Road
Suite # 9
Columbia, SC 29229
