The Effects of Yoga Therapy for Children Diagnosed on the Autism Spectrum

Author: Kayla Tweedt

Contents of article:

  1. Summary
  2. Autism Spectrum Disorder
  3. The practice of yoga and yoga therapy
  4. Benefits of yoga on ASD
  5. Future research
  6. Conclusion
  7. References

Summary:

Autism, also known as autism spectrum disorder (ASD), refers to a broad range of symptoms or conditions that are represented by challenges in the areas of social skills, repetitive behaviors, speech and nonverbal communication (Autism Speaks, 2018). Each person on the autism spectrum is different from one another, this is because there are many subtypes to the autism spectrum (Autism Speaks, 2018). What this means, is that every individual with autism has unique challenges and strengths, thus the type of treatment must be specific to the individual.

There are many different treatments out there for individuals on the autism spectrum. There are pharmacological interventions such as psycho-stimulants, atypical anti-psychotic drugs, and antidepressants. There are also non-pharmacological therapies such as complementary and integrative medicine, music therapy, cognitive-behavioral therapy, and social behavior therapies (Sharma et al, 2018). In this article I want to show another approach to a non-pharmacological intervention; the use of yoga as an intervention for children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. Before going too far into the topic, I want to cover some helpful terminology and abbreviations that will be mentioned.

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