1 562 107 CREATIVE YOGA INTERVENTION IMPROVES MOTOR AND IMITATION SKILLS OF CHILDREN WITH AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER. BACKGROUND: THERE IS GROWING EVIDENCE FOR MOTOR IMPAIRMENTS IN CHILDREN WITH AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER (ASD), INCLUDING POOR GROSS AND FINE MOTOR PERFORMANCE, POOR BALANCE, AND INCOORDINATION. HOWEVER, THERE IS LIMITED EVIDENCE ON THE EFFECTS OF MOTOR INTERVENTIONS FOR THIS POPULATION. OBJECTIVE: IN THE PRESENT STUDY, THE EFFECTS OF A PHYSICAL THERAPY INTERVENTION USING CREATIVE YOGA ON THE MOTOR AND IMITATION SKILLS OF CHILDREN WITH ASD WERE EVALUATED. DESIGN: THIS STUDY HAD A PRETEST-POSTTEST CONTROL GROUP DESIGN. METHODS: TWENTY-FOUR CHILDREN WITH ASD AGED BETWEEN 5 AND 13 YEARS RECEIVED 8 WEEKS OF A PHYSICAL THERAPIST-DELIVERED YOGA OR ACADEMIC INTERVENTION. CHILDREN WERE TESTED BEFORE AND AFTER THE INTERVENTION USING A STANDARDIZED MOTOR MEASURE, THE BRUININKS-OSERETSKY TEST OF MOTOR PERFORMANCE-2ND EDITION (BOT-2). THE IMITATION SKILLS OF CHILDREN USING FAMILIAR TRAINING-SPECIFIC ACTIONS (IE, POSES FOR THE YOGA GROUP AND BUILDING ACTIONS FOR THE ACADEMIC GROUP) WERE ALSO ASSESSED. RESULTS: AFTER THE INTERVENTION, CHILDREN IN THE YOGA GROUP IMPROVED GROSS MOTOR PERFORMANCE ON THE BOT-2 AND DISPLAYED FEWER IMITATION/PRAXIS ERRORS WHEN COPYING TRAINING-SPECIFIC YOGA POSES. IN CONTRAST, CHILDREN IN THE ACADEMIC GROUP IMPROVED THEIR FINE MOTOR PERFORMANCE ON THE BOT-2 AND PERFORMED FEWER IMITATION ERRORS WHILE COMPLETING THE TRAINING-SPECIFIC BUILDING ACTIONS. LIMITATIONS: THE STUDY LIMITATIONS INCLUDE SMALL SAMPLE SIZE AND LACK OF LONG-TERM FOLLOW-UP. CONCLUSIONS: OVERALL, CREATIVE INTERVENTIONS, SUCH AS YOGA, ARE PROMISING TOOLS FOR ENHANCING THE MOTOR AND IMITATION SKILLS OF CHILDREN WITH ASD. 2019 2 853 35 EFFECT OF YOGA ON THE MOTOR PROFICIENCY OF CHILDREN WITH AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER AND THE FEASIBILITY OF ITS INCLUSION IN SPECIAL SCHOOL ENVIRONMENTS. YOGA AS A MOVEMENT-BASED INTERVENTION IS INCREASINGLY CONSIDERED TO IMPROVE THE MOTOR SKILLS OF CHILDREN WITH AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER (ASD). HOWEVER, THERE IS LITTLE EVIDENCE OF THE EFFECT OF YOGA ON THEIR MOTOR SKILLS. THE CURRENT STUDY AIMS TO EXPLORE THE EFFECT OF GROUP YOGA PROGRAM ON MOTOR PROFICIENCY OF CHILDREN WITH ASD AND FEASIBILITY OF ITS INCLUSION IN SPECIAL SCHOOLS. FORTY-THREE CHILDREN WITH ASD FROM FOUR SPECIAL SCHOOLS WERE RANDOMIZED INTO YOGA (N = 23) AND CONTROL (N = 20) GROUP. A STRUCTURED YOGA PROGRAM OF 45 MIN FOR 12 WEEKS WAS DELIVERED BY TRAINED YOGA TEACHERS WHO ALSO TRACKED THEIR DAILY RESPONSES. THE BRUININKS-OSERETSKY TEST OF MOTOR PROFICIENCY. SECOND EDITION WAS USED TO ASSESS BOTH THE GROUPS PRE- AND POSTINTERVENTION. IN CONCLUSION, THE STUDY HIGHLIGHTED THAT YOGA APPEARS TO HAVE A POSITIVE IMPACT ON THE GROSS MOTOR RATHER THAN FINE MOTOR PROFICIENCY OF CHILDREN WITH ASD AND IS FEASIBLE TO BE DELIVERED AS GROUP INTERVENTION IN SPECIAL SCHOOLS. 2022 3 331 32 APPLICATION OF INTEGRATED YOGA THERAPY TO INCREASE IMITATION SKILLS IN CHILDREN WITH AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER. BACKGROUND/AIM: CHILDREN WITH AUTISM EXHIBIT SIGNIFICANT DEFICITS IN IMITATION SKILLS, WHICH IMPEDE THE ACQUISITION OF MORE COMPLEX BEHAVIOR AND SOCIALIZATION. IMITATION IS OFTEN TARGETED EARLY IN INTERVENTION PLANS AND CONTINUES TO BE ADDRESSED THROUGHOUT THE CHILD'S TREATMENT. THE USE OF INTEGRATED APPROACH TO YOGA THERAPY (IAYT) AS A COMPLEMENTARY THERAPY FOR CHILDREN DIAGNOSED WITH AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER (ASD) IS RARELY REPORTED AND LITTLE IS KNOWN ON THE EFFECTIVENESS OF SUCH THERAPIES. THIS STUDY INVESTIGATED IAYT AS A TREATMENT METHOD WITH CHILDREN WITH ASD TO INCREASE IMITATIVE SKILLS. MATERIALS AND METHODS: PARENTS AND SIX CHILDREN WITH ASD PARTICIPATED IN A 10-MONTH PROGRAM OF 5-WEEKLY SESSIONS AND REGULAR PRACTICE AT HOME. PRE, MID AND POST TREATMENT ASSESSMENTS INCLUDED OBSERVERS AND PARENT RATINGS OF CHILDREN'S IMITATION SKILLS IN TASKS RELATED TO IMITATION SKILLS SUCH AS GROSS MOTOR ACTIONS, VOCALIZATION, COMPLEX IMITATION, ORAL FACIAL MOVEMENTS AND IMITATING BREATHING EXERCISES. RESULTS: IMPROVEMENT IN CHILDREN'S IMITATION SKILLS ESPECIALLY POINTING TO BODY, POSTURAL AND ORAL FACIAL MOVEMENTS. PARENTS REPORTED CHANGE IN THE PLAY PATTERN OF THESE CHILDREN WITH TOYS, PEERS AND OBJECTS AT HOME. CONCLUSIONS: THIS STUDY INDICATES THAT IAYT MAY OFFER BENEFITS AS AN EFFECTIVE TOOL TO INCREASE IMITATION, COGNITIVE SKILLS AND SOCIAL-COMMUNICATIVE BEHAVIORS IN CHILDREN WITH ASD. IN ADDITION, CHILDREN EXHIBITED INCREASED SKILLS IN EYE CONTACT, SITTING TOLERANCE, NON-VERBAL COMMUNICATION AND RECEPTIVE SKILLS TO VERBAL COMMANDS RELATED TO SPATIAL RELATIONSHIP. 2010 4 2191 28 THE EFFECTS OF YOGA PRACTICE IN SCHOOL PHYSICAL EDUCATION ON CHILDREN'S MOTOR ABILITIES AND SOCIAL BEHAVIOR. BACKGROUND: IN RECENT YEARS, YOGA PROGRAMS IN CHILDHOOD HAVE BEEN IMPLEMENTED IN SCHOOLS, TO PROMOTE THE DEVELOPMENT FOR CHILDREN. AIM: TO INVESTIGATE THE EFFECTS OF YOGA PROGRAM IN PHYSICAL EDUCATION CLASSES ON THE MOTOR ABILITIES AND SOCIAL BEHAVIOR PARAMETERS OF 6-8-YEAR-OLD CHILDREN. METHODS: THE STUDY INCLUDED 16 CHILDREN FROM THE 1(ST) GRADE OF A PUBLIC ELEMENTARY SCHOOL IN THE SOUTH OF BRAZIL. THE CHILDREN PARTICIPATED IN A 12-WEEK INTERVENTION, TWICE WEEKLY, WITH 45 MIN EACH SESSION. TO ASSESS CHILDREN'S PERFORMANCE, WE USED THE BRUININKS-OSERETSKY TEST OF MOTOR PROFICIENCY - SECOND EDITION, THE FLEXIBILITY TEST (SIT AND REACH - EUROFIT, 1988), THE PICTORIAL SCALE OF PERCEIVED COMPETENCE AND SOCIAL ACCEPTANCE FOR YOUNG CHILDREN AND SEMI-STRUCTURED INTERVIEWS WITH CHILDREN, PARENTS, AND CLASSROOM' TEACHER. DATA WERE ANALYZED WITH WILCOXON TEST AND LEVEL OF SIGNIFICANCE WAS 5%. RESULTS: THE YOGA PROGRAM WAS WELL ACCEPTED BY CHILDREN, CHILDREN ALSO DEMONSTRATED SIGNIFICANT AND POSITIVE CHANGES IN OVERALL MOTOR ABILITIES SCORES (BALANCE, STRENGTH, AND FLEXIBILITY). IN ADDITION, THE INTERVIEWS REPORTED CHANGING IN SOCIAL BEHAVIOR AND THE USE OF THE KNOWLEDGE LEARNED IN THE PROGRAM IN CONTEXTS OUTSIDE OF SCHOOL. CONCLUSION: THESE FINDINGS SUGGEST THAT THE IMPLEMENTATION OF YOGA PRACTICE IN PHYSICAL EDUCATION LESSONS CONTRIBUTED TO CHILDREN'S DEVELOPMENT. 2016 5 946 34 EFFECTS OF A 12-WEEKS YOGA INTERVENTION ON MOTOR AND COGNITIVE ABILITIES OF PRESCHOOL CHILDREN. SINCE EARLY CHILDHOOD IS REGARDED AS AN IMPORTANT PERIOD OF MOTOR AND COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT, UNDERSTANDING THE EFFECTS OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY ON MOTOR ABILITES AND COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT IN PRESCHOOL CHILDREN HAS MAJOR PUBLIC HEALTH IMPLICATIONS. THIS STUDY INVESTIGATES THE EFFECTS OF A 12 WEEKS' YOGA INTERVENTION PROGRAM ON MOTOR AND COGNITIVE ABILITIES IN PRESCHOOL CHILDREN. PRESCHOOL CHILDREN (N = 45; AGE 5-6 YEARS) ATTENDING REGULAR PRESCHOOL PROGRAMS WERE NON-RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO YOGA INTERVENTION (N = 23; 30 MIN SESSIONS THREE TIMES PER WEEK) OR A CONTROL GROUP (N = 22; NO ADDITIONAL ORGANIZED PHYSICAL ACTIVITY PROGRAM). EXERCISE TRAINING FOR THE INTERVENTION GROUP INCLUDED YOGA PROGRAM. MOTOR ABILITIES (BOT-2 SUBTESTS: FINE MOTOR INTEGRATION, MANUAL DEXTERITY, BALANCE AND BILATERAL COORDINATION), AND COGNITIVE ABILITIES (SCHOOL MATURITY TEST SUBTESTS: VISUAL MEMORY, STACKING CUBES AND CODES) WERE ASSESSED BEFORE AND AFTER THE INTERVENTION PERIOD IN BOTH GROUPS. DATA WERE ANALYZED USING REPEATED-MEASURES ANOVA. PARTICIPANTS IN THE INTERVENTION GROUP IMPROVED FINE MOTOR INTEGRATION (P = 0.022), FINE MOTOR SKILLS IN GENERAL (0.029), BILATERAL COORDINATION (0.000), BALANCE (0.000), AND BODY COORDINATION (0.000). PRESCHOOL CHILDREN'S PARTICIPATION IN THE PRESCHOOL YOGA INTERVENTION SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVED THEIR MOTOR ABILITIES, BUT NOT THEIR COGNITIVE ABILITIES. 2021 6 917 20 EFFECTIVENESS OF SUPER BRAIN YOGA FOR CHILDREN WITH HYPERACTIVITY DISORDER. PURPOSE: THIS STUDY AIMED AT DETERMINING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF SUPER BRAIN YOGA FOR CHILDREN WITH HYPERACTIVITY DISORDER. DESIGN AND METHOD: THIS QUASIEXPERIMENTAL AND INTERVENTIONAL RESEARCH WAS CONDUCTED ON 80 SCHOOL-AGE CHILDREN THROUGH A PRETEST-POSTTEST DESIGN. RESULTS: RESULTS SHOWED THAT THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE MEANS OF SEVERITY OF HYPERACTIVITY DISORDER BEFORE (75.1) AND AFTER THE INTERVENTION (63.5) (P < .001). PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: PRACTICING SUPER BRAIN YOGA REDUCED THE SYMPTOMS OF HYPERACTIVITY DISORDER AMONG THE SCHOOL-AGE CHILDREN. 2019 7 191 39 A RANDOMIZED STUDY ON THE EFFECTS OF MINDS IN MOTION AND YOGA ON MOTOR PROFICIENCY AND ACADEMIC SKILLS AMONG ELEMENTARY SCHOOL CHILDREN. BACKGROUND: PHYSICAL ACTIVITY IS CRITICAL FOR THE HEALTHY DEVELOPMENT AND WELL-BEING OF CHILDREN. SPECIFICALLY, PHYSICAL ACTIVITY IS ASSOCIATED WITH IMPROVEMENTS IN COORDINATION, BALANCE, ATTENTION, AND BEHAVIOR AMONG ELEMENTARY SCHOOL-AGED CHILDREN. HOWEVER, FOR MANY CHILDREN, PARTICULARLY THOSE BELONGING TO MINORITY GROUPS, OPPORTUNITIES TO ENGAGE IN QUALITY PHYSICAL ACTIVITY PROGRAMS OUTSIDE SCHOOL SETTINGS ARE LIMITED. THE PURPOSE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO EXAMINE THE WHETHER A PHYSICAL ACTIVITY PROGRAM CALLED MINDS IN MOTION (MIM) THE MAZE BEFORE SCHOOL, AS COMPARED WITH YOGA, MEETS THE CRITERIA OF THE COMPREHENSIVE SCHOOL PHYSICAL ACTIVITY PROGRAM FRAMEWORK AS A BEFORE-SCHOOL PROGRAM TO IMPROVE OVERALL PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE AMONG ELEMENTARY SCHOOL-AGE STUDENTS. METHODS: A TOTAL OF 48 CHILDREN ATTENDING AN URBAN PUBLIC SCHOOL WITH LARGE MINORITY REPRESENTATION IN THE MIDWEST WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO MIM-THE MAZE OR YOGA. PARTICIPANTS WERE ASSESSED ON MOTOR PROFICIENCY, BEHAVIOR, BALANCE, AND ACADEMIC SKILLS BEFORE AND AFTER TRAINING. TRAINING CONSISTED OF EITHER YOGA OR MIM-THE MAZE 30 MINUTES PER DAY BEFORE SCHOOL, 5 TIMES PER WEEK FOR 12 WEEKS. RESULTS: MIM-THE MAZE AND YOGA GROUP STUDENTS SHOWED SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS IN ACADEMIC SKILLS. CONCLUSIONS: MIM-THE MAZE IS FEASIBLE AND AFFORDABLE BEFORE-SCHOOL PROGRAM TO PROMOTE STUDENTS' CLASSROOM BEHAVIOR IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL STUDENTS. 2020 8 1127 32 EFFICACY OF THE GET READY TO LEARN YOGA PROGRAM AMONG CHILDREN WITH AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDERS: A PRETEST-POSTTEST CONTROL GROUP DESIGN. 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. 2012 9 952 48 EFFECTS OF A CREATIVE YOGA INTERVENTION ON THE JOINT ATTENTION AND SOCIAL COMMUNICATION SKILLS, AS WELL AS AFFECTIVE STATES OF CHILDREN WITH AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER. BACKGROUND: YOGA IS GAINING POPULARITY AS A MULTISYSTEM INTERVENTION DUE TO ITS IMPACT ON BOTH THE PHYSICAL AND MENTAL WELL-BEING OF CHILDREN WITH TYPICAL DEVELOPMENT. HOWEVER, THERE IS LIMITED EMPIRICAL EVIDENCE TO SUPPORT THE USE OF THIS APPROACH IN SCHOOL-AGED CHILDREN WITH AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER (ASD). THE CURRENT PILOT STUDY EVALUATED THE IMPACT OF A CREATIVE YOGA INTERVENTION ON THE JOINT ATTENTION, SOCIAL COMMUNICATION, AND AFFECTIVE STATES OF CHILDREN WITH ASD. METHODS: 24 SCHOOL-AGED CHILDREN WITH ASD RECEIVED EIGHT WEEKS OF YOGA (E.G., BREATHING, POSES, RELAXATION) OR TABLETOP PLAY/ACADEMIC INTERVENTION (E.G., READING, ARTS-CRAFTS, BUILDING ACTIVITIES). CHILDREN WERE TESTED BEFORE AND AFTER THE INTERVENTION USING A STANDARDIZED MEASURE OF RESPONSIVE JOINT ATTENTION. ADDITIONALLY, CHANGES IN SOCIALLY DIRECTED VERBAL COMMUNICATION AND AFFECTIVE STATES OF CHILDREN WERE ASSESSED THREE TIMES DURING THE INTERVENTION PERIOD, I.E. DURING EARLY, MID, AND LATE INTERVENTION SESSIONS. RESULTS: CHILDREN WITH ASD SHOWED IMPROVEMENTS IN RESPONSIVE JOINT ATTENTION IN BOTH GROUPS IN THE POSTTEST VS. THE PRETEST. FURTHERMORE, CHILDREN IN THE YOGA GROUP SHOWED IMPROVEMENTS IN SOCIALLY DIRECTED VERBAL COMMUNICATION SKILLS ACROSS THE INTERVENTION SESSIONS, I.E. GREATER SPONTANEOUS AND RESPONSIVE COMMUNICATION FROM EARLY/MID TO LATE INTERVENTION SESSIONS COMPARED TO THE ACADEMIC GROUP. THERE WERE NO CHANGES IN AFFECTIVE STATES WITH THE INTERVENTION, HOWEVER, THE YOGA GROUP SHOWED GREATER INTERESTED AND LESS NEGATIVE AFFECT COMPARED TO THE ACADEMIC GROUP. CONCLUSIONS: CREATIVE YOGA INTERVENTION IS A PROMISING TOOL THAT LED TO IMPROVEMENTS IN INTERVENTION-RELATED SOCIAL COMMUNICATION SKILLS AND GENERALIZED JOINT ATTENTION SKILLS OF CHILDREN WITH ASD. 2021 10 30 31 12 WEEKS OF KINDERGARTEN-BASED YOGA PRACTICE INCREASES VISUAL ATTENTION, VISUAL-MOTOR PRECISION AND DECREASES BEHAVIOR OF INATTENTION AND HYPERACTIVITY IN 5-YEAR-OLD CHILDREN. THE PRESENT STUDY ASSESSES THE IMPACT OF KINDERGARTEN-BASED YOGA ON COGNITIVE PERFORMANCE, VISUAL-MOTOR COORDINATION, AND BEHAVIOR OF INATTENTION AND HYPERACTIVITY IN 5-YEAR-OLD CHILDREN. IN THIS RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL, 45 CHILDREN (28 FEMALE; 17 MALE; 5.2 +/- 0.4 YEARS) PARTICIPATED. OVER 12 WEEKS, 15 CHILDREN PERFORMED HATHA-YOGA TWICE A WEEK FOR 30 MIN, ANOTHER 15 CHILDREN PERFORMED GENERIC PHYSICAL EDUCATION (PE) TWICE A WEEK FOR 30 MIN, AND 15 CHILDREN PERFORMED NO KIND OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITIES, SERVING AS CONTROL GROUP (CG). PRIOR TO (T 0) AND AFTER 12 WEEKS (T 1), ALL PARTICIPANTS COMPLETED VISUAL ATTENTION AND VISUOMOTOR PRECISION SUBTESTS OF NEUROPSYCHOLOGICAL EVALUATION BATTERY AND TEACHERS EVALUATED CHILDREN'S BEHAVIOR OF INATTENTION AND HYPERACTIVITY WITH THE ATTENTION-DEFICIT/HYPERACTIVITY DISORDER (ADHD) RATING SCALE-IV. AT T 0, NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES BETWEEN GROUPS APPEARED. REPEATED MEASURES ANALYSIS OF VARIANCE REVEALED THAT FOLLOWING BONFERRONI-HOLM CORRECTIONS YOGA, IN COMPARISON TO PE AND CG, HAD A SIGNIFICANT POSITIVE IMPACT ON THE DEVELOPMENT ON BEHAVIOR OF INATTENTION AND HYPERACTIVITY. FURTHER, YOGA HAS A SIGNIFICANT POSITIVE IMPACT ON COMPLETION TIMES IN TWO VISUMOTOR PRECISION TASKS IN COMPARISON TO PE. FINALLY, RESULTS INDICATE A SIGNIFICANT POSITIVE EFFECT OF YOGA ON VISUAL ATTENTION SCORES IN COMPARISON TO CG. 12 WEEKS OF KINDERGARTEN-BASED YOGA IMPROVES SELECTED VISUAL ATTENTION AND VISUAL-MOTOR PRECISION PARAMETERS AND DECREASES BEHAVIOR OF INATTENTION AND HYPERACTIVITY IN 5-YEAR-OLD CHILDREN. CONSEQUENTLY, YOGA REPRESENTS A SUFFICIENT AND COST-BENEFIT EFFECTIVE EXERCISE WHICH COULD ENHANCE COGNITIVE AND BEHAVIORAL FACTORS RELEVANT FOR LEARNING AND ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT AMONG YOUNG CHILDREN. 2019 11 1126 33 EFFICACY OF STRUCTURED YOGA INTERVENTION FOR SLEEP, GASTROINTESTINAL AND BEHAVIOUR PROBLEMS OF ASD CHILDREN: AN EXPLORATORY STUDY. INTRODUCTION: AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER (ASD) IS A NEURO DEVELOPMENTAL DISORDER WHICH APPEARS AT EARLY CHILDHOOD AGE BETWEEN 18 AND 36 MONTHS. APART FROM BEHAVIOUR PROBLEMS ASD CHILDREN ALSO SUFFER FROM SLEEP AND GASTROINTESTINAL (GI) PROBLEMS. MAJOR BEHAVIOUR PROBLEMS OF ASD CHILDREN ARE LACK OF SOCIAL COMMUNICATION AND INTERACTION, LESS ATTENTION SPAN, REPETITIVE AND RESTRICTIVE BEHAVIOUR, LACK OF EYE TO EYE CONTACT, AGGRESSIVE AND SELF-INJURIOUS BEHAVIOURS, SENSORY INTEGRATION PROBLEMS, MOTOR PROBLEMS, DEFICIENCY IN ACADEMIC ACTIVITIES, ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION ETC. OUR HYPOTHESIS IS THAT STRUCTURED YOGA INTERVENTION WILL BRINGS SIGNIFICANT CHANGES IN THE PROBLEMS OF ASD CHILDREN. AIM: THE AIM OF THIS STUDY WAS TO FIND OUT EFFICACY OF STRUCTURED YOGA INTERVENTION FOR SLEEP PROBLEMS, GASTROINTESTINAL PROBLEMS AND BEHAVIOUR PROBLEMS OF ASD CHILDREN. MATERIALS AND METHODS: IT WAS AN EXPLORATORY STUDY WITH PRE-TEST AND POST-TEST CONTROL DESIGN. THREE SETS OF QUESTIONNAIRES HAVING 61 QUESTIONS DEVELOPED BY RESEARCHERS WERE USED TO COLLECT DATA PRE AND POST YOGA INTERVENTION. QUESTIONNAIRES WERE BASED ON THREE PROBLEMATIC AREAS OF ASD CHILDREN AS MENTIONED ABOVE AND WERE ADMINISTERED TO PARENTS BY TEACHERS UNDER THE SUPERVISION OF RESEARCHER AND CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGISTS. EXPERIMENTAL GROUP WAS GIVEN YOGA INTERVENTION FOR A PERIOD OF 90 DAYS AND CONTROL GROUP CONTINUED WITH SCHOOL CURRICULUM. RESULTS: BOTH CHILDREN AND PARENTS PARTICIPATED IN THIS INTERVENTION. SIGNIFICANT CHANGES WERE SEEN POST YOGA INTERVENTION IN THREE AREAS OF PROBLEMS AS MENTIONED ABOVE. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS ALSO SHOWED SIGNIFICANCE VALUE OF 0.001 IN THE RESULT. CONCLUSION: STRUCTURED YOGA INTERVENTION CAN BE CONDUCTED FOR A LARGE GROUP OF ASD CHILDREN WITH PARENT'S INVOLVEMENT. YOGA CAN BE USED AS ALTERNATIVE THERAPY TO REDUCE THE SEVERITY OF SYMPTOMS OF ASD CHILDREN. 2017 12 1893 30 RELAXATION RESPONSE-BASED YOGA IMPROVES FUNCTIONING IN YOUNG CHILDREN WITH AUTISM: A PILOT STUDY. OBJECTIVES: THE STUDY OBJECTIVES WERE TO DEVELOP AND OBJECTIVELY ASSESS THE THERAPEUTIC EFFECT OF A NOVEL MOVEMENT-BASED COMPLEMENTARY AND ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE APPROACH FOR CHILDREN WITH AN AUTISM-SPECTRUM DISORDER (ASD). DESIGN: A WITHIN-SUBJECT ANALYSIS COMPARING PRE- TO POST-TREATMENT SCORES ON TWO STANDARD MEASURES OF CHILDHOOD BEHAVIORAL PROBLEMS WAS USED. SETTINGS AND LOCATION: THE INTERVENTION AND DATA ANALYSIS OCCURRED AT A TERTIARY CARE, MEDICAL SCHOOL TEACHING HOSPITAL. SUBJECTS: TWENTY-FOUR (24) CHILDREN AGED 3-16 YEARS WITH A DIAGNOSIS OF AN ASD COMPRISED THE STUDY GROUP. INTERVENTION: THE EFFICACY OF AN 8-WEEK MULTIMODAL YOGA, DANCE, AND MUSIC THERAPY PROGRAM BASED ON THE RELAXATION RESPONSE (RR) WAS DEVELOPED AND EXAMINED. OUTCOME MEASURES: THE STUDY OUTCOME WAS MEASURED USING THE BEHAVIORAL ASSESSMENT SYSTEM FOR CHILDREN, SECOND EDITION (BASC-2) AND THE ABERRANT BEHAVIORAL CHECKLIST (ABC). RESULTS: ROBUST CHANGES WERE FOUND ON THE BASC-2, PRIMARILY FOR 5-12-YEAR-OLD CHILDREN. UNEXPECTEDLY, THE POST-TREATMENT SCORES ON THE ATYPICALITY SCALE OF THE BASC-2, WHICH MEASURES SOME OF THE CORE FEATURES OF AUTISM, CHANGED SIGNIFICANTLY (P=0.003). CONCLUSIONS: A MOVEMENT-BASED, MODIFIED RR PROGRAM, INVOLVING YOGA AND DANCE, SHOWED EFFICACY IN TREATING BEHAVIORAL AND SOME CORE FEATURES OF AUTISM, PARTICULARLY FOR LATENCY-AGE CHILDREN. 2011 13 862 30 EFFECT OF YOGA PRACTICES ON GENERAL MENTAL ABILITY IN URBAN RESIDENTIAL SCHOOL CHILDREN. INTRODUCTION MENTAL ABILITY OF CHILDREN REPRESENTS FUNCTIONING OF BRAIN IN DIFFERENT ASPECTS OF COMPETENCY INCLUDING VERBAL, MATHEMATICAL, LOGICAL REASONING AND SPATIAL, WHICH IS OF PRIME IMPORTANCE FOR ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE. OBJECTIVE THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO ASSESS THE EFFECT OF YOGA ON GENERAL MENTAL ABILITY OF URBAN RESIDENTIAL SCHOOL CHILDREN. METHODS SIXTY-SIX URBAN SCHOOL CHILDREN AGED 11-15YEARS WERE SELECTED AS PARTICIPANTS. ALL THE SELECTED PARTICIPANTS WERE STAYING IN A RESIDENTIAL SCHOOL IN PUNE DISTRICT. A STRATIFIED RANDOM SAMPLING METHOD WAS USED TO DIVIDE THE STUDENTS INTO EXPERIMENTAL AND CONTROL GROUPS. THERE WERE 32 STUDENTS IN EXPERIMENTAL GROUP AND 29 STUDENTS IN CONTROL GROUP. BOTH EXPERIMENTAL AND CONTROL GROUPS WERE ASSESSED FOR GENERAL MENTAL ABILITY BY USING STANDARD QUESTIONNAIRE AT THE BASELINE AND AT THE END OF 12WEEKS OF YOGA TRAINING. THE STUDY PARTICIPANTS OF EXPERIMENTAL GROUP UNDERWENT YOGA TRAINING FOR 12WEEKS, FOR 1 H IN THE MORNING FOR A PERIOD OF 12WEEKS. THE CONTROL GROUP DID NOT UNDERGO ANY YOGA TRAINING DURING THIS TIME PERIOD. RESULTS THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP PARTICIPANTS SHOWED SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN GENERAL MENTAL ABILITY AS COMPARED TO CONTROL GROUP. CONCLUSION THE FINDINGS OF THIS STUDY INDICATE THAT YOGA PRACTICES COULD IMPROVE GENERAL MENTAL ABILITY OF URBAN RESIDENTIAL SCHOOL CHILDREN. 2020 14 1205 24 EXPERIENCES OF CHILDREN AND PARENTS IN MIYOGA, AN EMBODIED MINDFULNESS YOGA PROGRAM FOR CEREBRAL PALSY: A MIXED METHOD STUDY. BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: A MINDFULNESS YOGA PROGRAM (MIYOGA) WAS DEVELOPED AND TRIALLED WITH CHILDREN WITH CEREBRAL PALSY AND THEIR PARENTS. THIS MIXED-METHOD STUDY EXPLORES THE EXPERIENCES OF CHILDREN AND PARENTS WHO PARTICIPATED IN MIYOGA, TO ASSESS ITS ACCEPTABILITY, FEASIBILITY AND IMPLEMENTATION. MATERIALS AND METHODS: OF THE FORTY-TWO CHILD-PARENT DYADS WHO PARTICIPATED IN THE MIYOGA RANDOMISED CONTROL TRIAL, 19 CHILDREN AND 22 PARENTS WERE INTERVIEWED INDIVIDUALLY IN A SEMI-STRUCTURED WAY ABOUT THEIR EXPERIENCES OF MIYOGA. PARTICIPANTS RATED THEIR MOOD ON A 5-POINT SCALE BEFORE AND AFTER EACH SESSION AND COMPLETED SHORT QUESTIONNAIRES AT THE END OF EACH SESSION. RESULTS: CHILDREN AND PARENTS REPORTED IMPROVED MOOD AFTER EACH MIYOGA SESSION. PARENTS REPORTED BEING MORE AWARE OF THEIR THOUGHTS AND FEELINGS AND POSSIBLY BECAME MORE AWARE OF THEIR DAY-TO-DAY MINDLESSNESS. CONCLUSION: MIYOGA SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVED CHILDREN AND PARENTS' MOOD. PARENTS REPORTED GAINS IN AWARENESS AS WELL AS CHALLENGES OF ADHERING TO THE HOME PRACTICE. 2019 15 1652 25 MULTIMODAL BEHAVIOR PROGRAM FOR ADHD INCORPORATING YOGA AND IMPLEMENTED BY HIGH SCHOOL VOLUNTEERS: A PILOT STUDY. A LOW-COST RESOURCE APPROACH TO ADHD THERAPY WOULD BE A PRACTICAL APPROACH TO TREATING CHILDREN IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES. RESEARCH HAS SHOWN THAT ADHD IS PREVALENT IN ALL AREAS OF THE WORLD, AND YET TREATMENT FOR CHILDREN IN MORE IMPOVERISHED COUNTRIES IS STILL LACKING. THE APPROACH TAKEN WAS TO COMBINE YOGA AND MEDITATION COMBINED WITH MULTIMODAL BEHAVIORAL THERAPY PROGRAM FOR CHILDREN AGEING 6 TO 11. THE PROGRAM WAS KEPT LOW COST BY USING TRAINED HIGH SCHOOL VOLUNTEERS AND INTEGRATING THE PROGRAM WITHIN THE PUBLIC SCHOOL. AFTER 6 WEEKS OF THE PROGRAM, 90.5% OF CHILDREN SHOWED IMPROVEMENT AS MEASURED BY THEIR PERFORMANCE IMPAIRMENT SCORE, A MEASUREMENT OF ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE. PARENT AND TEACHER EVALUATIONS OF BEHAVIOR ALSO FOUND IMPROVEMENT AS 25 OF THE 64 CHILDREN (39.1%) IMPROVED INTO THE NORMAL RANGE AS MEASURED BY THE VANDERBILT QUESTIONNAIRE. MOREOVER, CHILDREN COULD SUCCESSFULLY LEARN BOTH YOGA AND MEDITATION FROM HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS IRRESPECTIVE OF THEIR AGE, ADHD TYPE, OR INITIAL PERFORMANCE IMPAIRMENT. THE RESULTS DEMONSTRATE EFFICACY OF A MULTIMODAL BEHAVIORAL PROGRAM INCORPORATING YOGA AND MEDITATION. THE USE OF HIGH SCHOOL VOLUNTEERS FROM SCHOOLS IN THE AREA DEMONSTRATES AN EFFECTIVE LOW-COST AND UNIVERSALLY APPLICABLE APPROACH. 2011 16 1957 35 SELF-ESTEEM AND PERFORMANCE IN ATTENTIONAL TASKS IN SCHOOL CHILDREN AFTER 4(1/2) MONTHS OF YOGA. INTRODUCTION: PHYSICAL ACTIVITY IS KNOWN TO IMPROVE SELF-ESTEEM OF CHILDREN. LOW SELF-ESTEEM CAUSES DISTRACTION OF ATTENTION WHICH LEADS TO DECLINE IN PERFORMANCE IN ATTENTIONAL TASKS. THE PERFORMANCE OF A CHILD AT SCHOOL DEPENDS ON MULTIPLE FACTORS, A MAJOR FACTOR BEING ATTENTION. HENCE, THE PRESENT STUDY WAS DESIGNED TO SEE (I) THE EFFECT 4(1/2) MONTHS OF YOGA PRACTICE HAD ON CHILDREN'S (A) PERFORMANCE IN ATTENTIONAL TASKS, (B) SELF-ESTEEM AND (II) THE CORRELATION BETWEEN YOGA PERFORMANCE AND (A) ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE, (B) BEHAVIOR WITH PEERS, (C) BEHAVIOR WITH TEACHERS, (D) PUNCTUALITY, (E) PARTICIPATION IN EXTRA-CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES. METHODS: PARTICIPANTS WERE 116 CHILDREN WITH GROUP MEAN AGE +/- STANDARD DEVIATION; 10.2 +/- 0.6 YEARS. WE ASSESSED THEM FOR (I) SELF-ESTEEM USING INDIAN ADAPTATION OF BATTLE'S SELF ESTEEM INVENTORY FOR CHILDREN AND (II) PERFORMANCE IN ATTENTIONAL TASKS USING TWO DIFFERENT TESTS, I.E., SIX LETTER CANCELLATION TEST (SLCT) AND DIGIT LETTER SUBSTITUTION TEST (DLST) AND (III) THE TEACHER'S RATING SCALE WHICH ANALYZED THE TEACHER'S ASSESSMENT OF THE CHILDREN'S ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE, BEHAVIOR WITH PEERS, BEHAVIOR WITH TEACHERS, PUNCTUALITY, YOGA PRACTICE, AND PARTICIPATION IN EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES ON AN ANALOG SCALE, BEFORE AND AFTER THE INTERVENTION. DATA WERE ANALYZED WITH PASW (SPSS STATISTICS 24) USING THE T-TEST FOR PAIRED DATA. RESULTS: THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN THE SCORES OF (I) SLCT (P < 0.001), (II) DLST (P < 0.001), (III) SOCIAL SELF-ESTEEM (P < 0.01), (IV) ACADEMIC SELF-ESTEEM (P < 0.001), AND (V) TOTAL SELF-ESTEEM (P < 0.001) AFTER 60 MIN/DAY OF YOGA PRACTICE FOR 4(1/2) MONTHS. PEARSON CORRELATION SHOWED A POSITIVE CORRELATION BETWEEN YOGA PERFORMANCE AND THE BEHAVIOR WITH TEACHERS (R = 0.221 AND P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: YOGA PRACTICE IS BENEFICIAL FOR SCHOOL CHILDREN AS IT IMPROVES ATTENTION, CONCENTRATION, MEMORY, MOTOR SPEED, AND SELF-ESTEEM (SOCIAL, ACADEMIC AND TOTAL). IN ADDITION, IMPROVED YOGA PERFORMANCE IMPROVES BEHAVIOR WITH TEACHERS, THUS IMPROVING DISCIPLINE IN SCHOOL. 2019 17 249 29 A YOGA INTERVENTION FOR YOUNG CHILDREN: SELF-REGULATION AND EMOTION REGULATION. YOGA-BASED INTERVENTIONS HAVE BEEN IMPLEMENTED IN SCHOOLS AND DEMONSTRATED PROMISING RESULTS ON STUDENTS' SELF-REGULATION OUTCOMES. NEVERTHELESS, THERE IS LIMITED LITERATURE ON THE EFFECTS THAT YOGA MAY HAVE FOR CHILDREN IN THE EARLY PRIMARY GRADES, DESPITE THE EVIDENCE DEMONSTRATING THAT THIS IS AN OPPORTUNE PERIOD IN DEVELOPMENT FOR EARLY SELF-REGULATION. FEW STUDIES HAVE FOCUSED ON YOUNG CHILDREN LIVING IN THE CONTEXT OF ECONOMIC DIFFICULTY, WHICH CAN HINDER CHILDREN'S DEVELOPMENT OF SELF-REGULATORY SKILLS AND EDUCATIONAL TRAJECTORIES. THE EFFECTS OF AN EIGHT-WEEK YOGA INTERVENTION ON ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED PRE-KINDERGARTEN AND KINDERGARTEN CHILDREN'S SELF-REGULATION AND EMOTION REGULATION WERE EXAMINED VIA A PAIRED WITHIN-SUBJECTS COMPARISON STUDY. NINE CLASSROOMS WERE ASSIGNED TO THE YOGA INTERVENTION (TREATMENT FIRST, TXFIRST; N = 90) OR A WAIT-LIST CONTROL GROUP (TREATMENT SECOND, TXSECOND; N = 64). ALL CHILDREN WERE ASSESSED AT PRE-INTERVENTION (TIME 1), POST-INTERVENTION ASSESSMENT FOR TXFIRST (TIME 2), AND POST-INTERVENTION ASSESSMENT FOR TXSECOND (TIME 3). CHILDREN DEMONSTRATED SIGNIFICANT PREDICTED GAINS ON A BEHAVIORAL TASK OF SELF-REGULATION AND DECLINES IN TEACHER-RATED SUBMISSIVE VENTING AND TOTAL BEHAVIOR PROBLEMS. IMPLICATIONS FOR FUTURE RESEARCH ARE DISCUSSED, WITH A FOCUS ON INCLUDING FOLLOW-UP ASSESSMENTS AND MULTIPLE DIMENSIONS OF FIDELITY OF IMPLEMENTATION. 2021 18 951 23 EFFECTS OF A CLASSROOM-BASED YOGA INTERVENTION ON CORTISOL AND BEHAVIOR IN SECOND- AND THIRD-GRADE STUDENTS: A PILOT STUDY. THIS UNCONTROLLED PILOT STUDY EXAMINED THE EFFECTS OF A CLASSROOM-BASED YOGA INTERVENTION ON CORTISOL CONCENTRATIONS AND PERCEIVED BEHAVIOR IN CHILDREN. A 10-WEEK YOGA 4 CLASSROOMS INTERVENTION WAS IMPLEMENTED IN ONE SECOND-GRADE AND ONE THIRD-GRADE CLASSROOM. STUDENTS' SALIVARY CORTISOL RESPONSES WERE ASSESSED AT 3 TIME POINTS. CLASSROOM TEACHERS ALSO DOCUMENTED THEIR PERCEPTIONS OF THE EFFECTS OF THE INTERVENTION ON STUDENTS' COGNITIVE, SOCIAL, AND EMOTIONAL SKILLS. SECOND, BUT NOT THIRD, GRADERS SHOWED A SIGNIFICANT DECREASE IN BASELINE CORTISOL FROM BEFORE TO AFTER THE INTERVENTION. SECOND AND THIRD GRADERS BOTH SHOWED SIGNIFICANT DECREASES IN CORTISOL FROM BEFORE TO AFTER A COGNITIVE TASK, BUT NEITHER GRADE SHOWED ADDITIONAL DECREASES FROM BEFORE TO AFTER A SINGLE YOGA CLASS. THE SECOND-GRADE TEACHER PERCEIVED SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS IN SEVERAL ASPECTS HIS/HER STUDENTS' BEHAVIOR. THE THIRD-GRADE TEACHER PERCEIVED SOME, BUT FEWER, IMPROVEMENTS IN HIS/HER STUDENTS' BEHAVIOR. RESULTS SUGGEST THAT SCHOOL-BASED YOGA MAY BE ADVANTAGEOUS FOR STRESS MANAGEMENT AND BEHAVIOR. 2015 19 970 26 EFFECTS OF AN 8-WEEK YOGA PROGRAM ON SUSTAINED ATTENTION AND DISCRIMINATION FUNCTION IN CHILDREN WITH ATTENTION DEFICIT HYPERACTIVITY DISORDER. THIS STUDY INVESTIGATED WHETHER A YOGA EXERCISE INTERVENTION INFLUENCED THE SUSTAINED ATTENTION AND DISCRIMINATION FUNCTION IN CHILDREN WITH ADHD. FORTY-NINE PARTICIPANTS (MEAN AGE = 10.50 YEARS) WERE ASSIGNED TO EITHER A YOGA EXERCISE OR A CONTROL GROUP. PARTICIPANTS WERE GIVEN THE VISUAL PURSUIT TEST AND DETERMINATION TEST PRIOR TO AND AFTER AN EIGHT-WEEK EXERCISE INTERVENTION (TWICE PER WEEK, 40 MIN PER SESSION) OR A CONTROL INTERVENTION. SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS IN ACCURACY RATE AND REACTION TIME OF THE TWO TESTS WERE OBSERVED OVER TIME IN THE EXERCISE GROUP COMPARED WITH THE CONTROL GROUP. THESE FINDINGS SUGGEST THAT ALTERNATIVE THERAPIES SUCH AS YOGA EXERCISES CAN BE COMPLEMENTARY TO BEHAVIORAL INTERVENTIONS FOR CHILDREN WITH ATTENTION AND INHIBITION PROBLEMS. SCHOOLS AND PARENTS OF CHILDREN WITH ADHD SHOULD CONSIDER ALTERNATIVES FOR MAXIMIZING THE OPPORTUNITIES THAT CHILDREN WITH ADHD CAN ENGAGE IN STRUCTURED YOGA EXERCISES. 2017 20 1986 26 SPATIAL AND VERBAL MEMORY TEST SCORES FOLLOWING YOGA AND FINE ARTS CAMPS FOR SCHOOL CHILDREN. THE PERFORMANCE SCORES OF CHILDREN (AGED 11 TO 16 YEARS) IN VERBAL AND SPATIAL MEMORY TESTS WERE COMPARED FOR TWO GROUPS (N = 30, EACH), ONE ATTENDING A YOGA CAMP AND THE OTHER A FINE ARTS CAMP. BOTH GROUPS WERE ASSESSED ON THE MEMORY TASKS INITIALLY AND AFTER TEN DAYS OF THEIR RESPECTIVE INTERVENTIONS. A CONTROL GROUP (N = 30) WAS SIMILARLY STUDIED TO ASSESS THE TEST-RETEST EFFECT. AT THE FINAL ASSESSMENT THE YOGA GROUP SHOWED A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE OF 43% IN SPATIAL MEMORY SCORES (MULTIVARIATE ANALYSIS, TUKEY TEST), WHILE THE FINE ARTS AND CONTROL GROUPS SHOWED NO CHANGE. THE RESULTS SUGGEST THAT YOGA PRACTICE, INCLUDING PHYSICAL POSTURES, YOGA BREATHING, MEDITATION AND GUIDED RELAXATION IMPROVED DELAYED RECALL OF SPATIAL INFORMATION. 2004