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, researchers, Kristie Koenig, Anne Buckley-Reen, and Staviga Gargthese 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 weeks, and the control group engaged in their standard morning routine. Challenging behaviors were assessed with standardized measures and behavior coding before and after intervention. 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 classroom-wide yoga interventions has a significant impact on key classroom behaviors among children with ASD.
This research was recently published in AJOT,
(doi:10.5014/ajot.2012.004390 American Journal of Occupational Therapy September/October 2012 vol. 66 no. 5 538-546)
Chosen as a PBS “Innovations in Education” program, this program has been highly acclaimed by participating teachers, therapists and administrators and was recently spotlighted on NPR – Classroom Yoga Helps Improve Behavior of Kids with Autism