Marie Noelle Fequiere

I see where the disparity of opinions comes from: It's about the perception of the problem. I live in a poor country, where the schools specialized in teaching challenged people are few and overwhelmed. I received a private message from an aikidoist who works in a special program aimed at special people - people with mental retardation of all kinds, ADHD, etc... Such programs do not exist in Haïti. There are not enough therapists to teach all those needy kids how to read, so teaching them martial arts is not really a priority. Parents who want something more for their child - and who can afford it - have to turn to people who are may not be qualified, but are willing to help.
My first Karate instructor had only about two years of psychology behind him - he actually operated a security company -, but he loved children, and he had a big heart. On top of that, I was struggling with my own problems at the time, and he decided that teaching would teach me a lot. I really struggled with some of those kids, I made mistakes, but the desire of the parents to give their kid everything they could get their hands on was moving.
Jimmy was lucky to be born in a wealthy family, and I am sure that as soon as they could, his parents travelled with him to take him to the best doctors and the best therapists, and this may be the reason why he was easy to teach. He was very shy, but very disciplined and very determined. He had a hard time learning how to kick, but his punch packed a wallop. So many children are not as lucky. So, the question is, when nobody is qualified to help, can someone with a big heart give it a try?