From our Inclusion Committee in ITF we want to help to be aware of over the importance of the inclusion of thousands of children who, in silence, live with a disability so difficult to carry out as simple to give inclusion too.
A child with Duchenne has the same concerns and dreams as any other child.
We only have to be prepared to include them.
And Taekwon-Do is an excellent tool to generate this inclusión.
This is why we share the esperience of Boo Sabun Nim Silvia De Moraes who in first person shares her lesson learned through this as a mother and professor.
Let’s keep learning to include.
Muscular Dystrophy: a story at the dojang
By : Boosabun Silvia de Moraes, Brazil
Duchenne’s Muscular dystrophy is a weird genetic disease which causes the weakness of the muscles and that affects approximately 1 of every 3.500 to 6.000 male children, and the first symptoms appear in first stage of childhood.
Children with DMD are like other children, they like to play videogames, enjoy time with friends, play soccer, go out for a walk with the family and also, practice Taekwon-Do.
Can children with DMD practice Taekwon-Do? Of course! Children with dystrophy can and must do physical activities, always as long as we respect their limits. In the case of children with DMD, they get tired more quickly, so that between activities we have to take breaks for them to rest, we can not allow muscles to get fatigued.
Also, it might be necessary to adapt some static as well as dynamic movements and How do we adapt? Before anything else, we ask…Nobody better than the child with dystrophy himself to help you adapt the class.
Children with DMD sometimes have difficulties to maintain balance, so that when they’re going to practice activities involving balance, be beside them, it is possible that they need your help or simply your support, always encourage them.
To stretch is very important for children with dystrophy: during these classes display or plan sufficient stretching exercises, all students will benefit from this.
But maybe, we still have not spoken about the most important thing. The major benefit of Taekwon-Do for a child with DMD is inclusion, make them feel they belong to the group, which means to be accepted as an equal, it means to be recognized at their goals, although these set goals are different to the rest.
Work with the group, teach students to be generous, kindness not only with those children with a weird pathology but with everychild so that, in the end, “we all are weird in some way”.
In this day of awareness about DMD we want to honor those brave warriors that since they are little they teach us valuable lessons about overcoming, strength, courage, braveness and a lot of will to live and win….
After all, diagnose is not destiny and the future is about to be written.
For my son Bruno ( on the left on the fotographs ) on his way to becoming a black belt, together with his brother and training partner, Vinicius.
The E-Tournament of ITF is waiting for you!
