For the last 7 years my son has been on a long list of medications for ADHD, OCD, Anxiety, DMDD (Disruptive mood dysregulation disorder) and Autism. For anyone that has had to deal with these issues it can be devastating. The violent fits were extremely hard to handle mentally and physically for not only our son, but the entire family. It took 5 years of trying multiple medications to get a combo that helped. We felt so relieved to finally have peace in our home.
We debated on trying martial arts since our son had a mood disorder, but decided to give karate a chance and we are so glad we did. After 3 months of being in karate we found that medication may no longer be our answer. My son has been able to go off all his medications he was previously on. I’m not going to tell you karate was a fix-all solution, but I am going to tell you that his conditions are manageable without medication.
Karate has helped him with focus, exercise and mood. Where he struggled making and keeping friends, he has a group of peers that accept him and enjoy spending time together. There has been a significant change in impulse control and discipline. He has learned what is acceptable behavior and is held accountable by his sensei. He works hard and thrives on the praise he gets in class; this motivates him to work even harder.
Medications are not always the answer. Don’t get me wrong, sometimes they are desperately needed, but don’t hold back from trying new things because of disabilities. Regardless of mental or physical limitations everyone benefits from a supporting and encouraging atmosphere.
Check out some of our other blogs by our Dojo Moms:
Disrupting the Pattern: More that just a Martial Tactic
Finding your “why’s” in Life
Don’t Sweat it!
How Are You Going to Know What’s Valuable.. If you don’t know your values?