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6 Benefits of Yoga for Children with Autism

With autism now affecting 1 in 68 children, according to the CDC, parents, educators, and professionals are continually searching for supportive tools. Yoga for autism has emerged as a promising practice that can help children build skills across various settings, from home to school and community.

From increasing strength, balance, and coordination to helping with self-regulation, yoga offers potential benefits that support both physical and emotional well-being. Join us as we delve into six ways in which yoga for autism can make a positive difference in the lives of children on the spectrum.

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Benefits of Yoga for Children with Autism

1. Increased social and communication skills

Autism yoga can be an effective tool for enhancing imitation, cognitive abilities, and social-communicative behaviors.

Children may experience improvements in:

  • eye contact
  • sitting tolerance, 
  • non-verbal communication, and 
  • receptive communication skills.

Understanding and imitating actions is closely linked to the development of social communication skills. In yoga, children learn poses and breathing techniques by imitating an adult’s actions, which helps enhance their ability to sustain joint attention.

Techniques like visualization, guided imagery, and vocabulary repetition with visual aids can further support language and vocabulary development, making autism yoga a multifaceted tool for skill-building in children with autism.

2. Awareness and expression of emotions

Yoga and autism go hand in hand in fostering emotional awareness. Not only can the practice bring more awareness to social cues such as facial expressions, actions, and social behaviors, but it can also bring more awareness to how children are feeling.

Because children with ASD often have difficulty with expressive and receptive communication, they may act out their emotions in unexpected or inappropriate ways.

Breathing strategies can be taught to children with autism in order to release difficult or uncomfortable emotions such as anger, frustration, or anxiety in a healthier and more constructive manner.

Boy doing yoga outside https://www.autismparentingmagazine.com/creating-inner-peace-the-benefits-of-yoga-for-children-with-autism-spectrum-disorder/

Providing an outlet for children with autism to express their emotions gives them the message that it’s OK to feel these emotions. It also shows children how expressing them constructively can help them feel better emotionally.

3. Reduced anxiety

Many autistic children experience heightened levels of anxiety. This can significantly affect their sleep, mood, behavior, and health.

Due to difficulty with communication, sensory integration deficits, and a variety of other challenges, children with ASD can be in a constant state of anxiousness, which is often referred to as the fight/flight mode.

When children are in the fight/flight mode, cognition and communication go down, and they tend to move into chest breathing or hyperventilation, which can exacerbate their anxiety.

Specific breathing strategies can be taught to support children with ASD in reducing anxiety and soothing their nervous systems.

Mindful breathing, guided imagery, and calming poses can help children develop coping and self-regulation skills. These practices also encourage more effective emotional and physical responses to stress.

Calming their nervous systems and releasing tension in their minds and bodies supports better sleep, digestion, mood, behavior, and overall health and well-being.

4. Reduced challenging behaviors

Children with ASD often experience challenges in areas like language, communication, emotional expression, attention, and sensory integration, which can sometimes lead to difficult behaviors.

Yoga for autism can be beneficial in addressing these challenges. Regular, consistent yoga practice can help children with autism improve behaviors over time, supporting skills in self-regulation, focus, and managing sensory sensitivities.

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  • Combining breathing techniques with yoga poses can help autistic children reduce anxiety, positively influencing their mood and behavior. This approach also supports the development of essential self-regulation and coping skills.

    Many children with ASD experience sensory integration challenges, which involve processing and responding to sensory information both from the environment and within their own bodies.

    This integration affects how they manage their activity levels, alertness, and emotional or physical reactions to various sensations. Developing the ability to navigate these responses, often called self-regulation, can help children better adjust their focus, energy, and emotional reactions to sensory input.

    5. Increased body awareness

    Many autistic children may have limited body awareness. By teaching and identifying body parts through yoga and movement of the body, children can develop a greater sense of body awareness.

    Poses that provide vestibular and proprioceptive input also support body awareness. Directional concepts taught in yoga, such as up and down and left and right, are also helpful concepts in developing a greater sense of body awareness.

    6. Positive sense of self

    Along with the many benefits listed above, the practice of yoga can also support children with autism in developing self-confidence and self-esteem. Balancing and standing poses are especially engaging and empowering for children with ASD to practice.

    Whether standing, balancing, or seated, any pose can be adapted to match a child’s abilities, fostering self-esteem and creating a sense of success.

    Tips for teaching your child yoga for autism

    Yoga can easily be incorporated into a child’s day at home, school, or in a program setting. It supports self-regulation, enhances communication, helps express difficult emotions, and reduces anxiety and frustration.

    Mom and daughter doing yoga together https://www.autismparentingmagazine.com/creating-inner-peace-the-benefits-of-yoga-for-children-with-autism-spectrum-disorder/

    Practicing yoga together helps the child feel calm and relaxed. It also helps the adult feel more calm. This creates a positive and soothing experience for both.

    Here are some tips for teaching yoga for autism:

    • Teach your child simple yoga poses and breathing exercises with the use of visuals, games, repetition, and fun activities.
    • At first, choose easier poses and breathing strategies that allow the child to feel successful. Practice them consistently before adding new poses and breathing strategies.
    • Create a yoga schedule with pictures of poses so there is consistency. That way, the child will know what to expect.
    • Allow the child to choose preferred poses in order to feel a sense of involvement and control.
    • Incorporate “yoga breaks” throughout the day in order to encourage movement, stretching, and breathing. This provides an opportunity to reset. 
    • Set aside a “yoga space” in the setting with visuals of poses and breathing exercises for children to access when needed. Simple yoga stretches can be done seated in a chair (chair yoga) if desired.
    • Encourage children to engage in breathing strategies or yoga stretches when they become upset, agitated, or experience anxiety as a replacement behavior.

    Embracing the benefits of autism and yoga

    Incorporating yoga into the daily routine of children with autism offers a range of benefits, from improving self-regulation and communication to reducing anxiety and frustration. By creating a calming environment, yoga helps children develop emotional awareness and coping skills while fostering a sense of achievement and confidence.

    For both children and adults, the practice of yoga can transform everyday challenges into opportunities for connection and growth. Embracing yoga as a tool for autism can lead to a more balanced, positive, and peaceful experience for everyone involved.

    This article was featured in Issue 33 – Let’s Get Moving and Stay Healthy

    FAQs

    Q: What yoga is good for autism?

    A: Yoga that focuses on sensory integration, mindfulness, and relaxation is beneficial for autistic individuals. Practices like gentle stretching, deep breathing, and yoga poses that promote body awareness can help manage stress and improve focus.

    Q: What exercise is good for autism?

    A: Exercises that are structured, repetitive, and offer sensory input, such as swimming, running, or martial arts, can be particularly helpful for autistic individuals. These activities promote motor coordination, reduce anxiety, and improve overall well-being.

    Q: What activities do autistic people struggle with?

    A: Autistic people may struggle with activities that involve complex social interactions, such as group sports or unstructured play. Sensory sensitivities, difficulty with communication, and challenges in adapting to change can also make certain activities overwhelming.

    Q: What is the best sport for autism?

    A: Individual sports like swimming, running, and martial arts are often ideal for autistic individuals as they offer structure and can be tailored to sensory needs. These sports allow for personal growth, improve coordination, and provide a calming, focused environment.

    Other tools and alternative approaches for autism you may be interested in:

    References:

    Semple, R. J. (2019). Yoga and mindfulness for youth with autism spectrum disorder: review of the current evidence. Child and adolescent mental health, 24(1), 12-18. https://acamh.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/camh.12295 

    Artchoudane, S., Bhavanani, A. B., Ramanathan, M., & Mariangela, A. (2019). Yoga as a therapeutic tool in autism: A detailed review. Yoga Mimamsa, 51(1), 3-16. https://journals.lww.com/yomi/fulltext/2019/51010/Yoga_as_a_therapeutic_tool_in_autism__A_detailed.2.aspx 

    Kaur, M., & Bhat, A. (2019). Creative yoga intervention improves motor and imitation skills of children with autism spectrum disorder. Physical therapy, 99(11), 1520-1534. https://academic.oup.com/ptj/article-abstract/99/11/1520/5637981 

    Kaur, M., Eigsti, I. M., & Bhat, A. (2021). 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. Research in autism spectrum disorders, 88, 101860. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1750946721001355 

    Radhakrishna, S., 2010 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2952122/ 

    Koenig, Buckley-Reen & Garg., 2012 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22917120 

    Smith, K.A. and Gouze, K.R. (2004) The Sensory Sensitive Child: Practical Solutions for Out-of-Bounds Behavior. New York, NY: HarperCollins.

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