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We enrolled our son into Leadership to improve his confidence and communication skills. Now he greets people with a smile, looks them in the eyes, gives them a healthy handshake and introduces himself. We couldn't be happier!
From ATA World Volume 19, Number 3 Fall 2012
Confidence for Kids and Parents
At the age of 3, our son
Benicio “Beni” Perez was diagnosed with a form of autism. For Beni it meant
delay in speech, delay in motor skills, and lack of eye contact.
Beni had plenty of assistance: speech therapy, occupational therapy, music
therapy and social skills classes, but none of these therapies actually helped
us, as parents, feel that our child was “normal.” We were eager to feel normal,
to put Beni in a regular class with children his own age and hope he would model
after them.
That’s when we found Kang’s ATA in Elk Grove, Calif. We knew
nothing about Taekwondo, but we liked what we saw: patient teachers who modeled
what they taught, respect shown to all students regardless of age, and a safe
environment. Kang’s ATA is not just a martial arts business. It’s a family who
cares about the success of its students. With a new optimism, we enrolled Beni.
Beni is now 7 years old and a Brown Belt. His therapies are minimal, and
he continues to surprise us with the self-confidence, self-discipline and
respectful manners that he has learned through Taekwondo. He models not just
after the children as once hoped, but after teachers Chief Master Se Hyung Kang
and Jay Kang. Beni strives to meet their standards of hard work, vitality, and
perseverance. “Goals we set, goals we get.”
We would like to offer a
heart-filled thank you to the Kang family and American Taekwondo Association for
such a dynamic program. You help to restore confidence not only in your
students, but in their parents as well.
Fermin and Nadia Perez
Elk
Grove, Calif.
Proud of His Belt and Achievements
My son Lliam
Reyes has autism. We signed him up at Lee’s ATA in Tempe, Ariz., in October
2011. He is now a Green Belt. I wanted to let you know how much the instructors
at Lee’s ATA Martial Arts in Tempe, Ariz., are wonderful with him. And his
classes are helping him with coordination and social skills. He has become proud
of his belts and his achievements. Thank you ATA for becoming a partner with
Autism Speaks. I’ve been telling everyone I know with children with autism (or
with ADHD, like my daughter, Poe, who is also a Green Belt) to get their
children signed up with ATA. I’ve seen firsthand what these classes can do!
Rey and Nadia Reyes
Tempe, Ariz.
