I second (or third) On The Mat Sports in Bethesda. The instructors are good with all the kids (and adults, too). The kids are challenged and have fun.

http://onthematsports.com

They were featured on last week helping channel 4's Wednesday's child.

We go to onthemat sports - great place

Anonymous wrote:Our kid "grew out of" PT before reaching kindergarten. They take PT away once the child can successfully manouvre(sp?) school and playground. We enrolled him in Kicks Karate and group swimming didn't work so we did 1/2 hr 2x weekly of private swim lessons. The karate helped him to listen, focus, more eye contact with the instructors as well as improved fitness/muscle strength. Private swimming lessons instead of group instruction worked. He is a fish in the water now.

Can you recommend a swim instructor who will do private lesson? Where is the instructor located. We are in Montgomery county.

Our kid "grew out of" PT before reaching kindergarten. They take PT away once the child can successfully manouvre(sp?) school and playground. We enrolled him in Kicks Karate and group swimming didn't work so we did 1/2 hr 2x weekly of private swim lessons. The karate helped him to listen, focus, more eye contact with the instructors as well as improved fitness/muscle strength. Private swimming lessons instead of group instruction worked. He is a fish in the water now.

I take my 6 year old with ADHD to On the Mat sports in Bethesda - it is very kid friendly (takes young kids), but more importantly, they are very involved with the kdis and hte partents - particularly if you tell them you are concerned about your kids behavior, focus, etc.

My little boy loves it.

I didn't originally post on this thread an OP you didn't say where you live but we got to Kang's in Olney.

http://www.kangsblackbeltacademy.com/

The owners are some of the most caring people I have ever encountered. They take a "whole child approach" and have even talked to my son about issues he is having in school. I could not say enough wonderful things about them. And no, I'm not affiliated with them at all.

Please please post where your child does karate OR taek won do. It would be helpful (but not necessary) if you mentioned which poster you are by the time stamp. TIA!

My DC's issues are different: ADHD. Taekwondo has been very helpful in developing focus, self-control, and self-esteem. Our place has classes just for 3 and 4 year olds and then kids can enter the older kids program at 5.

We just started our DS (age 6) in karate - and the place doesn't take kids under 5.

We did do a semester of karate at Little Gym which I think takes kids as young a 4. But, in my opinion, it wasn't karate and I didn't really see the value in it. I liked their regular gymnastics classes much better. I think the regular gym. classes there were great for building my son's strength and overall coordination.

My son doesn't have sensory issues (we're dealing more with anxiety). But so far, the reward system in karate and no-nonsense approach is really building his self-esteem.

We started at age 5. Some studios require that a child be at least 5 years old.

Thank you for the responses. OP here. We tried swimming class (teacher lead only) but found that DS was still not paying much attention and was afraid of the water. He'll try a few things but I felt it would be time better spent if I went in the water with him.

Previous posters, when did you start karate / tae kwon do with your kids? DS just turned 4 and I am wondering if this is too young. Your input is appreciated.

We skipped OT entirely for our ASD kid. He is clumsy and has attention issues. We went straight to swim lessons and karate. Karate has helped tremendously. He has to listen to follow the class or watch what the other kids do. He is also learning to learn -- karate is hard for him, but he is still improving and advancing through his belts through practice and hard work. He is learning to concentrate better and to screen out sensory input that is distracting.

Swim lessons are good for strength and conditioning and coordination. Swimming takes a lot of coordination.

My DS with ADHD and sensory issues has been doing Tae Kwon Do for 3 years. I think he's gotten much more out of this than he ever did out of his OT. I agree that OT was a waste of time and money. It was a rocky start with Tae Kwon Do, but well worth it in the end. It has been a huge boost for his self esteem and also helped him build strength, coordination, and focus. He's actually become very good at it and I think he's on track to get his black belt. I never would have thought this possible in the beginning.

My child had focus and sensory issues (and slightly low muscle tone). I've found that tae kwon do has been very helpful for her. She has also been in OT for 3 years. Honestly, though, I think she is just maturing out of it, but the TKD has helped her self esteem and concentration. I strongly suspect the OT has been a grand waste of time, yet we go every week because I'm afraid to stop. I hope they discharge her soon, but she will keep up TKD even after she's out of OT. It's great exercise and they learn great life lessons about discipline and working hard.

DS is 4 year old and has a history of sensory integration issues (more tactile). His teacher has noticed that he has had more problems transitioning, is incredibly slow at doing tasks, and is spacey at times. He is also somewhat clumsy and his finger strength is weaker than I would expect, and his peers are starting to notice some his physical abilities and have somehow excluded him from their play.

The teacher has a child who has some sensory issues and thinks that karate might help.

We did a trial karate session and DS was very excited about it. I feel like with each new thing we try, I put so much hope that this will somehow turn the corner. I like the concept behind karate and how it might help with focus issues.

If you have a child with focus/sensory issues, how much did karate helped your child?