David Rosenberg is the founder of Kicking The Spectrum, which is a karate studio offering children with disabilities the chance to stay active. David started Kicking The Spectrum from a childhood experience of his. David was diagnosed with ADD (attention deficit disorder) at an early age which effected his ability to pay attention during school, and throughout daily tasks in his life.
When David was seven he discovered martial arts. He realized that he was able to gather all his energy and use it in the sport. He realized that this was an area he could thrive in, and eventually earned a black belt when he was 15.
David Rosenberg on the right, wearing his black belt.
A few years later David was instructing younger students, and was eventually married to his wife, Stephanie Rosenberg. Stephanie was a certified behavior analyst, and worked with children often, like David. David then recalled his memories of having ADD, and remembered that karate was an activity that helped him work through his disability.
He realized that he wanted to offer other children this same opportunity, and for that reason him and his wife came together to form Kicking The Spectrum.
Stephanie Rosenberg, Co-Founder of Kicking The Spectrum
We went to the studio which is located on Lexington Ave on the East side of Manhattan, to learn more about the program and the knowledge we would have to glean to work with the kids. We met with David in the studio which was divided into two parts. Half of it was a gym surrounded by mirrors, with yoga mats, photographs of great karate masters, and signs that were hung on the walls listing the requirements the children would have to attain to advance with their belts. David shared information with us about everything we would need to know to do volunteer work. We discussed the different types of disabilities there are, methods he uses to work with the kids, his background, and why he loves working with his program.
David working with two students
He told us that Kicking The Spectrum works with children who have mental and physical disabilities. To make me, Victor and Alexa understand the different methods more in depth, he demonstrated his methods using us.
He told us that for many children with mental disabilities giving them an instruction in the karate class has to be taught in a different way. For example he told Alexa to get a piece of paper and bring it to him, which she did. For a child with a mental disability, he might have to first describe the paper, then ask the child to find that piece of paper. After that he would ask them to pick it up, and then finally walk over and bring it to him.
This was really interesting because I take for granted being able to follow instructions correctly and easily. If a teacher asks me to get chrome books upstairs, without hesitation I know what to do, or if I’m asked to write down notes, I can copy them down with no further explanation. For many of these children with disabilities their brains don’t function in this way, and instructions and other tasks have to be described differently, and with more preciseness and details. If David told a child with disabilities to go pick up a piece of paper and bring it to him with no other explanation the child may get confused and that confusion can turn into frustration which can turn into anger, and no one wants that.
David helps many children with disabilities find their ability to concentrate and thrive in a sport, like himself.
