How Jordan overcame ADHD & Dyslexia training in martial arts. From an early age we knew our son, Jordan, had problems with his fine motor skills. When Jordan started school he realized that he had other problems such as being able to stay focused on tasks and completing class assignments. Jordan would be punished repeatedly for not finishing his work which was a constant frustration for him. When I asked why he couldn’t get his work done he simply replied, “There is too much noise and I can’t concentrate.” It broke my heart when he told me he wanted to be normal like other children. I expressed my concerns to his teacher and principal regarding Jordan’s emotional state and self-esteem. In 1998, Jordan was tested and found to have ADHD, Dyslexia and a writing disability even though he had a high IQ. He was put on Ritalin and placed in special education classes in school. This resulted in him to being taunted by other children and called names such as retarded or slow. The special Ed classes did help Jordan but it was Jordan that was his own worst enemy because of his desire to please everyone and be a perfectionist. He would often make himself sick anticipating a test the next morning and needed to be calmed down and reassured.When Jordan started Middle school the problems got worse. He felt lost and showed signs of being afraid because of the much more hectic schedule. He then started suffering from bad anxiety attacks and on one particular school morning refused to get out of the car. After a school counselor contacted an Intervention program, he was put on an anti depressant drug and was put in the care of a psychologist and psychiatrist for a few months. It wasn’t easy for my husband and me to make the decision to home school Jordan, but we felt like we had to give it a try in order to help our son. It’s been two years and since that day in middle school and I’m proud to say that Jordan isn’t under the care of any doctor other than his medical doctor and doesn’t take any medication for his ADHD or anxiety.Jordan, at the age of five loved watching Chuck Norris movies. He always imitated his moves saying, “one day I’m going to be a Black Belt.” Four years ago, my husband enrolled Jordan in Choi Kwang Do and he was so excited. The main reason was to build his self-confidence and self-esteem. On September 13, 2003 Jordan accomplished his goal of becoming a Black Belt. On that very day his entire life changed. Everything started to fall into place for Jordan. Not only is Jordan a Black Belt, but he is also on the demo team and in September of 2004, he became an Assistant Instructor. Jordan, now 14, can be found everyday at Choi Kwang Do except on Sunday because Choi Kwang Do is closed on that day. My husband and I thank God for bringing Choi Kwang Do into our son’s life. I feel in my heart that God has a special plan for Jordan to encourage all people to “Do your best and never give up” |