Persevering in teaching martial arts, transforming autistic children

"Children! It's time for class. Focus, focus...!". Immediately, about 20 students lined up neatly. In the small yard at the Cultural - Sports Center of District 3, Ho Chi Minh City, a serious Aikido class began.

"Sunshine" and "raindrops"

If you don’t look closely, you might mistake this for a martial arts class for adults, because all the students look tall and agile. However, most of them are autistic children living in the bodies of adults.

"I call my students 'sunshine' and 'raindrops' because their temperaments and actions are very erratic. One moment they are laughing but the next they are crying" - martial arts master Thanh Loan explained.

Pointing to the shoe rack in the corner of the classroom - where there are oversized shoes, a parent said: "In this class, there are people over 30 years old but still have the spirit of a 3-year-old child, always liking shoes with lots of colors and cartoon patterns."

Recalling the first days of his son entering first grade, when the homeroom teacher said that K. had unusual symptoms compared to his classmates, Mr. Thanh suddenly felt uneasy. Taking his son to Children's Hospital 1 for a check-up, he and his wife were stunned when the doctor announced that K. had autism and needed early intervention.

After nearly 12 years of accompanying his son, K. can now ride a bike, practice martial arts, and play sports. According to Mr. Thanh, learning martial arts helps K. control his behavior, speak long sentences, and his health has improved a lot.

"Even though K. is my biological child, sometimes I get angry with him. Having to teach nearly 20 autistic people a day, I have never seen Ms. Loan lose patience or raise her voice at anyone. With her love and kind heart, she has transformed K., helping my child to be calm and improve every day" - Mr. Thanh was grateful.

Sitting from afar watching his son enthusiastically practicing martial arts with his friends, the father's eyes shone with happiness. Thanh's simplest wish right now is for his son to be able to take care of himself, know how to eat, and take care of his personal hygiene.

"Each autistic child has their own world . If they stay in that world, even 10 or 20 years later, they will still be children. To bring them closer to us, the only way is to enter that world and influence them every day" - martial arts master Thanh Loan acknowledged.

According to martial artist Thanh Loan, Aikido is a martial art of love, taking love as its spirit, harmony as its motto and energy as its foundation. After more than 20 years of bringing this martial art to special lives, the U80 martial artist has found that this is an effective method to help them increase their ability to concentrate and control their behavior.

The female martial artist explained that people with autism or hyperactivity are prone to falling while moving. When participating in the class, they have to practice their reflexes. "Practice a little every day, and it will gradually become a habit. These simple falling positions help children protect their bodies from danger and limit injuries to important parts of the body," the martial artist said.

At the age of 80, martial artist Thanh Loan still diligently teaches martial arts to autistic children in Ho Chi Minh City in the hope that they will become more independent.

Hope every district has a "roof"

For more than 20 years as a teacher at Thao Dien SpecialEducation School (Thu Duc City, Ho Chi Minh City), Ms. Nguyen Ngoc Thuy has always devoted all her time to her special students. In addition to improving her professional knowledge and participating in training sessions organized by the school, this summer, she also learned Aikido.

"Once Ms. Thanh Loan came to the school to teach martial arts to the children, I noticed that the students were very interested and their behavior improved. Right after that, I signed up for an Aikido class in District 3 every Saturday morning," said Ms. Thuy.

According to Ms. Thuy, teaching each autistic child requires a different lesson plan. Although martial arts master Thanh Loan is not a specialized teacher, her experience and skills are something she must learn from.

Sharing about the difficulties in teaching autistic children, Ms. Thuy said that the centers and specialized schools in Ho Chi Minh City currently still have many limitations. Among them, the biggest difficulty is the lack of teachers and poor facilities. That is the reason why many autistic children have not received good intervention and care.

At Aikido classes, some parents have to drive their children dozens of kilometers, and when they get to class, both father and child are drenched in sweat. Master Thanh Loan hopes that every district will have an Aikido "home" or activity place for children.

Master Thanh Loan always encourages parents to care for and trust their children. Love will be the magic medicine that erases all sadness and barriers. "Autism is not the end of a child. If parents intervene and accompany their children, they will surely reap sweet fruits" - she advised.

The last person to leave the training ground

Ms. Phan Hong Ngoc - Secretary of the District Youth Union, Director of the Children's House of District 3 - said that the martial arts class "Aikido - Happiness is Love" is taught most days of the week. Depending on the weather conditions and the health of the students, the martial arts teacher arranges flexible study time. In recent years, Ms. Thanh Loan has also opened music classes, literacy classes, English classes... for autistic children.

The classes operate on the funding of Master Thanh Loan, contributions from parents and benefactors. In addition, the team of volunteers also provides great support for the classes.

Ms. Ngoc said: "As a dedicated teacher, over the past 20 years, Ms. Loan has always been the last to leave the training ground. Not only does she teach martial arts, she also takes her students to bigger playgrounds such as city-level and national sports competitions for the disabled. Ms. Loan has helped them assert themselves with their families and society."

Source: https://nld.com.vn/giao-duc-khoa-hoc/kien-tri-day-vo-cam-hoa-tre-tu-ky-20230827212957755.htm