Efficacy of the Get Ready to Learn Yoga Program Among Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Pretest–Posttest Control Group Design

Abstract

Occupational therapists use school-based yoga programs, but these interventions typically lack manualization and evidence from well-designed studies. Using an experimental pretest–posttest control group design, we examined the effectiveness of the Get Ready to Learn (GRTL) classroom yoga program among children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). The intervention group received the manualized yoga program daily for 16 wk, and the control group engaged in their standard morning routine. We assessed challenging behaviors with standardized measures and behavior coding before and after intervention. We completed a between-groups analysis of variance to assess differences in gain scores on the dependent variables. Students in the GRTL program showed significant decreases (p < .05) in teacher ratings of maladaptive behavior, as measured with the Aberrant Behavior Checklist, compared with the control participants. This study demonstrates that use of daily classroomwide yoga interventions has a significant impact on key classroom behaviors among children with ASD.

Exploring Yoga as a Sensory Based Intervention for Children with Sensory Processing Difficulties: A Systematic Literature Review

“…[19][20][21][22][23][24] All of the included nine studies [16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24] used purposive or convenience sampling, due to the nature of the intervention, which involved participating in the practice of yoga, blinding in the studies was not possible which was acknowledged in all of the studies. The sample size of the participants in the studies varied from six to seventy five with a total number of 338 participants across the nine studies, with ages varying from five to eighteen years.…”

“…This resulted in nine empirical research studies being selected for the review, author name beside each citation. [16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24] For the nine final studies selected the Critical Appraisal Skills Program (CASP 2013) was used to evaluate the qualitative and quantitative methodologies of each of the studies.…”

Feasibility and Implementation of a Video-Based Yoga Program in a Special Education Setting Using a Collaborative Model

“…The children who participated in classroom yoga programs were largely diagnosed with autism, which is a population that has been shown in the literature to benefit from yoga programming. Rosenblatt et al reported changes on the Aberrant Behavior Checklist following 8 weeks of yoga in 5-12 year-old children with autism Rosenblatt et al 16 Another study that reviewed the effects of yoga on this population found decreases in maladaptive behavior in children 9 years of age with autism spectrum disorders after receiving 16 weeks of daily school-based yoga Koenig et al 4 Improved attention and focus reported by anecdotal response following yoga intervention in the present report was in line with findings of these studies.…”

“…3 More recently, research has found additional support for yoga in school for children in elementary to seventh grade. Koenig et al 4 found significant decreases in maladaptive behavior in children 9 years of age with autism spectrum disorders after receiving 16 weeks of daily school-based yoga. 4 Eggleston 5 found that seventh grade students who participated in yoga for at least 30 minutes per week over the course of one academic school year demonstrated a significant increase in self-esteem and a decrease in perceived stress.…”

“…Koenig et al 4 found significant decreases in maladaptive behavior in children 9 years of age with autism spectrum disorders after receiving 16 weeks of daily school-based yoga. 4 Eggleston 5 found that seventh grade students who participated in yoga for at least 30 minutes per week over the course of one academic school year demonstrated a significant increase in self-esteem and a decrease in perceived stress. Folleto et al 6 examined the effects of a 12-week school based yoga program on the motor and social abilities of children 6-8 years of age, finding improvements in balance, strength and flexibility.…”