YOGA THERAPY FOR AUTISM....

YOGA THERAPY FOR AUTISM....

This morning I woke to my youngest son performing yoga moves. He knew each of them by name and was in the correct formation for each movement.  I was so impressed by his display, that I decided to discover a little more about the benefits of Yoga on all children and what was available within Yoga Resources for children on the Autistic Spectrum. I know my son had been exposed to some Yoga movements from school. This was implemented alongside a Learning Connections program. The Focus here was on addressing sensory and body awareness. I have included an exert from their website:  www.learningconnections.com.au

"Learning Connections believes that the majority of children with learning difficulties, attention disorders and behaviour problems share common underlying factors, that is, neuro-developmental delay. This results in developmental immaturities, which puts these children at high risk for learning difficulties, attention and behaviour problems." "The Learning Connections' approach is based on a neurological view of development that has been influenced by the work of a range of researchers and practitioners. The Learning Connections program is essentially a sensory motor maturation program in which children replicate the early movement experiences that are required to establish good building blocks, or "wiring", of the brain that is essential for efficient learning." "McCain and Mustard (1999) state positive sensory stimulation….helps strengthen brain capacity in functions such as cognitive development, stable emotions,……and normal arousal responses. Learning Connections has been using the theories outlined in the Early Years Study in parent and teacher workshops for the since 1976." 

The Prep and Year One children positively responded to the program, receiving welcoming success by children, parents and staff.

And so the search begins.....

I was so surprised by what I have found this really could involve a few different posts. But to keep it simple to begin with a basic summary... 

Yoga has been documented to assist strengthening, calming and self-control with children who are on the Autistic Spectrum.... Aspergers included. Through performing a series of tension-releasing exercises, suitable for reducing coping mechanisms, such as hand-flapping, and increasing muscle tone, muscle strength and body awareness, therapists are finding drastic improvements in Autistic behaviours. The other benefit.... Yoga movements can be individually adapted to sit specific needs.  People use yoga for a variety of conditions and to achieve fitness and relaxation.  Some researchers believe that yoga can be taught to people with autism to help them develop the ability to imitate other people, which in turn helps them with other behaviours including social skills.

http://life.gaiam.com/article/butterfly-stretch-autistic-boy-finds-comfort-calm-yoga

Butterfly Stretch: Autistic Boy Finds Comfort in the Calm of Yoga.

Julie Kailus

Andrew Benisek is proof that the ancient practice of yoga touches all souls.

This 9-year-old autistic boy from DeKalb, Ill., literally stumbled upon yoga one day while rooting through his mother’s collection of yoga VHS tapes.

He pushed play on Patricia Walden’s original bestseller, Yoga for Beginners, and was hooked. Today Andrew, officially diagnosed with pervasive developmental delay on the autism spectrum, owns dozens of yoga and meditation DVDs. Another perennial favourite is Rodney Yee’s AM/PM Yoga.

“The yogis speak very slowly and calmly and he likes that,” says Andrew’s mother, Nuala. “He doesn’t lay down in savasana, but he watches [the DVD] or is doing something else and has it on in the background.”

Andrew does participate more actively when he feels like it. “I do sitting poses and meditation,” he says. His favourite move? Proud warrior pose. Quite remarkably, Andrew even defines the word meditation as “mind, body and spirit.” 

Experts suggest that yoga’s soothing nature may appeal to autistic and other developmentally disabled children whose sensory systems are in effect “overloaded.” The practice’s peaceful atmosphere — dim lights, quiet music and slow movements — can provide a welcome respite.  Inverted movements such as child’s pose, downward dog and triangle work the vestibular system, which helps with balance and special orientation — areas that are especially important for autistic children, says Britt Collins, a Salem, Oregon-based occupational therapist. Collins partnered with famed Survivor winner and yoga instructor Aras Baskauskas on the Yoga for Children with Special Needs DVD.

A restful routine

Nuala says her son’s fascination with yoga grew after Andrew’s initial discovery about three years ago. “We’d go shopping at Target or Borders, and he would just gravitate toward the fitness section.”

Today yoga is a near-daily break for Andrew. When he comes home from school he goes to his bedroom and puts on one of his yoga videos, and we just know to leave him alone for a half hour or so, explains Nuala. “If he has a whole day of stimulation during the school year or if he’s had a tough day, he goes right up there.”

Are his poses spot-on in terms of form? “No,” says Nuala, “but he just breaks out his mat and tries them.”

The practice seems to complement Andrew’s interest in all things tech-oriented. He loves computers — and elevators. “There’s not a remote control he can’t figure out,” says Nuala. “Andrew can ride a bike and scooter, but can’t catch a ball well or line up a baseball bat. He can keyboard and run a remote control, but holding a pencil is still a challenge.”

Yoga seems to provide numerous benefits for children struggling to navigate through a “neuro-typical” world. Some suggest it may offset an autistic child’s common preoccupation with objects rather than people, tapping into a calm, non-competitive realm in the brain.

Those who teach yoga for autistic or special needs children, including Collins, report that it can improve focus and concentration, one of autism’s greatest challenges, as well as help counter poor muscle coordination, ease tension and teach coping mechanisms.

Nuala sees yoga’s effect on Andrew’s sensory integration. “It helps him organize what’s coming in,” she says. Weight-bearing poses like plank, for example, are very beneficial for an autistic child, she suggests.

The benefit of beginner's mind.

What’s so harmonious about yoga and the autistic child is the absence of ego. Often associated with “losing” oneself or finding a pure and compassionate heart, yoga seems to work for autistic children who come to the practice unhindered, fully open to the experience, with what is known as beginner’s mind.

“Andrew has almost no ego,” says Nuala. “He’s so encouraging and very genuine — almost Zen-like in being present in the moment.” While staying focused can be short-lived, admits Nuala, “He’s just a sweet little kid. He radiates a happy vibe.”

A spiritual openness is also encouraged in the Benisek home. “We don’t have a mainstream religion. We are more spiritual than formally religious,” says Nuala. “So we can be very confident when he is exploring the philosophy behind yoga — and we enjoy watching him do these things.”

What’s Andrew’s take? “It makes my body feel good,” he says of his yoga practice. 

One pose that describes him, says Andrew, is butterfly stretch. What a fitting analogy for this beautiful yogi in the making.

Photos by Lindsay Kuntzi

Even though this article was based in the U.S. I am currently searching for a Yoga DVD - Special Needs, that can be bought and shipped if necessary here to Australia.