Neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) are birth imperfections that cause dysfunction in cognitive and sensory processes and impairment in motor function, communication, and behavior. The major factors responsible for increasing incidence of NDDs are genetic, psychosocial, and excessive use of drugs. Yoga alleviates neurological problems and NDDs. Asana is a physical movement with breath awareness that facilitates the development of body awareness, concentration, and memory and provides vital energy for children with neurodevelopmental disability. Yoga therapy improves sensory coordination and motor imitations that enable persons with cognitive disabilities to make meaningful response by the integration of senses and functions of central nervous system.
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.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.