Confidence, Positive Attitude, Perseverance, Eye Contact, Goal-Setting

While most eight year old boys are playing soccer or T-ball, our son was not the least bit interested in sports. He enjoyed the uniform, but did not like getting in the wet grass, or getting his shoes dirty on the T-ball field. Plus, parents yelling when the ball flies past you can be intimidating. Our son has a mild form of autism. After doing a lot of reading and networking with other parents who have a child on the autistic spectrum, we decided to try martial arts as an alternative to group sports.

Our son began in May of 2009 at ATA in Charlottesville, VA, eager to begin working toward his black belt. My husband and I met with Mr. and Mrs. Cirone to let them know a little about our son’s background, his quirks, the open-heart surgery he endured at age four, and what his diagnosis was. They, in turn, told us what the expectations would be, as I was worried that he wouldn’t be able to learn the material and keep up with the other students. They also asked us a very important question… what were OUR expectations of them? For us, instilling discipline and self-confidence were very important, as well as perseverance. We also wanted him to over-come his fear of failure and socializing. The Cirones placed an emphasis on our son working toward his own goals, with us reinforcing those goals at home. He was not competing against others, rather, he was working with them to reach a common goal. He was being evaluated on his own improvement, not being compared to the others in the class.

The Black Belt Leader program at ATA has worked miracles for our son. His teacher, his aide, after-school workers, and other school workers have noticed incredible growth in him. The commented on how he is handling his frustration in a more productive way and feeling more comfortable trying new things. The biggest difference noticed was by his dentist, who had not seen him since the summer of 2009. During the exam, which is usually marked with biting, screaming, kicking, and crying, I constantly reminded him of his Black Belt Attitude. The dentist and hygienist could not believe that he was even the same child.

With the program, good works, like doing something at home without being asked or getting a good grade, are rewarded in class in front of his peers with stars to go on a patch. He loves the belt ceremonies, and looks forward to class each time he goes. We also use Mr. Cirone as someone to speak with our son privately if there has been a problem with which we think he may be able to help our son. It is a great resource to have. He does get frustrated from time to time, but the Cirones help him work through the frustration, not allowing him to give up. His eye contact has also improved significantly.

Lastly, we reinforce the monthly life skills and goals at home, which also help him at school. His teachers use them as well. “Black belt attitude!” You can hear me on a video of our son buckling a saddle on a horse when he’s having trouble… “perseverance!” I have also been inspired to begin Taekwondo as well. For me, it is also a challenge due to some health issues, but I see how good it has been for our son’s confidence, flexibility, mental acuity, and social integration. I’m loving it! I only wish I had started when our son did. It is a great activity for families to do together, and I would especially recommend it for families who have children on the autism spectrum.

Determination, Loyalty, Perseverance

Noah joined ATA Leadership in Charlotteville just over a year ago. In this time we have seen Noah develop a strong sense of loyality and commitment. The skills he has developed from his time in class are skills he will take through his entire life! Noah is determined to see his commitment to Taekwondo through to Black Belt. We feel this shows amazing determination for a child who joined the program at the age of 6. The education Noah recieves from Mr. and Mrs. Cirone has been of the highest quality. They have shown true commitment to their students. We look forward to Noah's continued development and are so greatful for everything Mr. and Mrs. Cirone do for our Son!

Confidence, Achievement, Valuable Training, Fun and Exciting Classes, Birthday Party

When I found out that we were leaving Charlottesville to relocate, the first thing that came to mind was, “What are we going to do about ATA?”. Over the last few months, the program has become part of our regular schedule. Typically parents may find themselves trying to convince and beg their child to attend an after school activity. Not with ATA. Pretty much every day my five year old son, Ryan, would ask, “When are we going to ATA? I wonder if Mr. Cirone is going to let us break a board today.” He was so proud to put on his uniform and orange belt. From the minute we walked into the classroom, you could feel the level of excitement from the Tiny Tiger students. They all couldn’t wait to have their name called so that they could run up to their dot and begin their warm up. Each class had different skills to focus upon, but the kids could always count on having fun and doing “the Jungle”. No matter what the age or ability of the student, Mr. Cirone made each and every one of the students feel important and confident about their level of progress. He has a great sense of humor and is overflowing with energy. You have to have that type of personality when you know that you are going to get kicked in the leg 75 times during Stranger Danger practice.

We also took advantage of the birthday party package. For a very reasonable price, Mr. and Mrs. Cirone entertained 16 of my son’s friends for two hours. The package included invitations, pizza, drinks, paper products, balloons, and tons of fun. My son was given the board that he broke, which was signed by all of his buddies, as a token from the party. Even to this day, parents tell me that it was one of the best parties they had ever attended. They all were amazed with how captivated 16 preschool boys were for such a long duration of time.

We don’t know if we will find a tae kwon do program as wonderful as the one we have belonged to here in Cville. Both of the Cirones have offered to find classes for us in Northern Virginia but this black belt couple is one of a kind. I don’t know if we will have that kind of luck again. We are so appreciative of what the Cirones have done for our son. Thanks to them, he thinks he can do anything that he wishes to achieve and conquer the world at the same time.