Our son, Austin has been attending the Rochester Aikido Kokikai class for the past two years. Austin has enjoyed learning a variety of Aikido skills and techniques, he has grown within its learning environment and has accomplished the skills for both the white and yellow belts. Austin is 9-years old. He is what's known in the medical and educational fields as a high-functioning child with autism.
Autism is a life-long, developmental disorder.
Autism affects the cognitive processes of an individual - which is displayed as limited social language and organizational skills. It is difficult for an individual with autism to discriminate cues or stimuli. Learning, both academically and socially, is a profound challenge. Many educational institutions have developed successful programs in teaching autistic children. Dispite the profound impact that autism has on the individual and family members, children with autism have many strengths, too.