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It was in 1994, while we were stationed in British Columbia for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police that my better half Nathalie gave birth to our son Philippe. When he reaches the age of 18 months, we begin to observe in him, behaviors different from other children.
As I work in several isolated places in 1996, we do not have easy access to medical services.
Autism Spectrum Diagnosis
In 2000, the Gendarmerie transferred us to Quebec so that Philippe could have access to it, because his behaviors were increasingly difficult to understand and manage. He was then diagnosed by a multidisciplinary team from Ste-Justine Hospital with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), with a severe language problem, with a fine motor problem and hyperactivity.
At this time, my wife and I were severely affected by general anxiety problems, which made the family situation even more explosive.
She was the first to really get involved and participate in lots of activities with Philippe (soccer, scouts, etc.), in order to help him develop his social skills, which at the time were very poor.
It was in 2006 that I decided to start teaching karate classes with him, since he could not participate alone. Observing the positive impact he saw, I decided in 2008 to found the Autisme Karate school in order to regularly help Philippe and hundreds of other children with the same disorders.
Now 300 Autistic students
every week
Currently, about a hundred students with an autism spectrum disorder practice regularly every weekend, within 4 homogeneous class levels. Classes vary from 3 to 60 years old including several types of challenges: verbal, non-verbal, hyperactive, etc.
Graduated from McGill University in Mathematics
I am very proud of the career of my son Philippe, who is now 28 years old with a Black Belt in Kiokushin karate and a graduate of McGill University in mathematics. Since 2008, more than 3000 people with an autism spectrum disorder have benefited from our unique programs.
Discover all the benefits of our unique and inspiring programs that support that: "Anything is possible when you really believe in it!" »
Hope to meet you,
André Langevin, Founder of Autism Karate
