Effect of Yoga Therapy on Neuromuscular Function and Reduction of Autism Severity in Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder

Abstract

Autism is characterized by dysfunction in motor execution and sensory perception that are linked with neuromuscular function (fN) for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This article aims to evaluate effectiveness of yoga therapy (YT) on fN and autism severity in children with ASD. Sixty children were screened (age 6 to 18) using childhood autism rating scale (CARS); 40 were allocated randomly (n=20) into yoga (YG) and control (CG) groups; both followed regular school routine, and YG received 10 YT sessions (60 min/session). Visual reaction time (VRT), handgrip strength (HGS), and CARS were measured. YG showed significant changes in VRT and CARS after YT and intergroup comparisons revealed significant differences between groups at the end of the study (VRT,p=0.008; CARS,p=0.011). YT resulted in small but statistically significant changes in CARS and significant improvement in VRT. This implies that YT can be used as an adjuvant modality for children with ASD, reducing co-morbidities with regard to the neuromuscular function.