Martial Arts - Teaching of Morals / Coordinatiion / Social

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When to start depends a lot on your daughter and the school--the instructors, really, and how accommodating they are. My boys started a couple years later than most of the other kids. The older was not quite 11 and the younger (who has the formal diagnosis, IEP and almost-unaffordable special school) was barely 9. Their MA school emphasizes the personal growth aspect, and I'd guess 90% of their students are younger than 12. At least at that school, the right age seems to be about 8, and I don't think there's a different "right age" for NT and Asperger's kids. My younger son does tend to back off into a corner of the floor, as far from the distractions as he can get. The instructors soon learned that was just what he had to do. They also had to remind him over and over to keep his focus on the class, but eventually he got there. They also quickly learned that he will absolutely freeze if he's asked to demonstrate something all by himself, and didn't require him to do that. But they asked him if he was willing every time they required other kids to do demonstrations; they just didn't push him. In the past couple of months, he's started to do solo demos which is a big step forward for him.

They do have a separate class for kids under 5 or 6; mostly the younger siblings of regular students. That class used to end just before my sons' class started so I saw that the "Little Dragon" sessions had about 5 students and their parents were with them on the floor if they needed that.

Once you think a particular school might be right (and your daughter ready), make sure you go and quietly observe a class or two. Ideally, you'll want to see both a beginner class and a more advanced class. Watch the kids and the instructors and look for kids who seem to be struggling a bit and how they're handled. If the school has problems letting you watch ordinary classes, get far away from them. If you can't see the instructors making individual allowances and chatting with parents and students between classes, leave VERY quickly.

We just started our boys (one diagnosed autistic) in karate. So happy to read all of these positive outcomes!

I think everyone must know how great karate is for Aspergers kids, because yesterday, of the kdis helping out with my kids' beginners' class, I would have guessed that half of them were Aspies.

Also for girls consider ballet. While it seems intrinsicly different thing, the same elements are there for the kids.
Oh and as an aside if I was Dad of a boy I thought was capable of it I'd seriously look at putting my boy in, they will always get rolls in productions, and theres loads of girls to be friends with!

Before I had ever heard about Aspergers, I started taking Tae Kwon Do because I friend was doing it. I did it through most of my 20's. It was excellent for learning where my body was in space, which was something I never felt before. I really felt comfortable in my own skin for the first time.

After I had my first son, we tried to get him involved but he was non committal, as he typically is with sports. I wrote it off as being too young as he was only 3 or 4.

He's 9 now and we started him again over the spring. As before, he could take it or leave it.

I think martial arts are good for everyone, AS or not.