United Self Defense Academy
Specialized Adaptive Martial Arts
Personalized martial arts instruction for students served by their regional center.
Serving families, service coordinators, and support teams
Inclusive • Adaptive • Community-Driven
Our curriculum is designed to develop the whole person — body, mind, emotions, and social connection.
Martial arts at USDA is a non-medical recreational activity, which allows for flexible funding through regional center authorization.
Ask your regional center service coordinator about funding recreational martial arts lessons for your student.
Contact USDA Foothill Ranch — we'll answer questions, meet your student, and coordinate the details with your support team.
Once everything is in place, we schedule your student's first lesson and build their personalized program from day one.
Children (age 4+), teens, and adults served by a regional center who are seeking structured, safe, and meaningful physical activity in an inclusive environment.
Most families come to us through their regional center service coordinator. You can also contact us directly and we'll help you find the right path forward.
We offer 1:1 personal lessons in Shaolin Kempo, with small group instruction available when appropriate. Each session integrates life skills including focus, discipline, and self-confidence alongside martial arts technique.
SAMA is a recreational activity — not a medical or ABA-related therapy. This distinction allows for flexible funding and wider access through regional center authorization.
Families are welcomed as active participants. We communicate progress regularly and offer guidance on reinforcing skills at home to maximize student growth.
Martial arts instructors with specialized adaptive training and disability inclusion experience
Mandatory CPR, First Aid, and background checks for all staff
Ongoing professional development in behavior management and disability inclusion
Dedicated 1:1 and small group support staff to ensure every student is seen and supported
Our program is grounded in a growing body of peer-reviewed research. Here are key findings from medical and academic journals supporting martial arts as an effective intervention for children with autism.
A randomized controlled trial of 34 children with ASD assigned participants to either a 26-session MMA program or a waitlist control. Parents of children in the martial arts group reported significantly higher positive social behaviors and lower negative social behaviors compared to the control group.
Researchers at the University of California, Irvine found that a 26-class MMA program over 13 weeks produced significantly better executive functioning scores in children with ASD versus a waitlist control group — including gains in behavior regulation and emotion regulation.
A registered clinical trial (ClinicalTrials.gov) found that an inclusive adaptive judo program improved motor skills and psychosocial outcomes in children with ASD. Karate training has also been shown in separate studies to significantly reduce stereotyped behaviors and improve social interaction.
A 2024 network meta-analysis published in Frontiers in Public Health analyzed 16 randomized controlled studies with 560 participants. Of all physical interventions tested, karate produced the highest effect size for improving social functioning in children with ASD — outperforming all other exercise types studied.
Click below to enroll and we will reach out within one business day to schedule your student's first lesson.
Enroll NowStandardized rates — effective January 1, 2026.
$390.00/Month
Billed $2,340.00 every 6 months
$250.00
Paid at sign up
$275.00
Paid at sign up
$275.00
$4,680.00
billed every 6 months
$7,020.00
billed every 6 months
$9,360.00
billed every 6 months
All rates have been reviewed and approved by Corporate Management.
Enroll Now