The Bottom Line
Pros
- Upbeat, positive approach to supporting kids with autism
- Detailed enough for novices
- Includes helpful photos
- Includes ideas for modifications
- Parents can benefit along with their kids
Cons
- Unlikely to be a significant treatment for autism
- Based on very limited informal research
- Claims made that are only anecdotally supported
Description
- Do-it-yourself guide to yoga for autism.
- Includes instructions, photos, modifications.
- May be useful to adults with autism as well as children.
Guide Review - Book Review: Yoga for Children with Autism
Authors Dion and Stacey Betts are serious about yoga. Several years ago, Stacey began sharing her yoga experience with her son with autism - and found that, for her son, it "reduced stress and anxiety, and increased balance and strength." Based on their experience, the sisters wrote this book.Inside, you'll find a basic guide to well-known yoga poses. Included are a number of suggested modifications for children with autism, along with photos of kids and parents doing each pose. The modifications and suggestions are extensive enough to really help parents help their children - and while the book is not intended for teens or adults with autism, the same modifications seem likely to apply.
Neither sister claims that yoga can treat autism in any basic way, but the claim is that yoga can improve a number of symptoms often experienced by people with autism. In addition to improving strength and lowering anxiety, they claim, yoga can also help children (and presumably adults) with autism improve flexibility, lower sensory defensiveness, and generally feel better in their own bodies. While I have no reason to doubt the value of yoga overall (and there are plenty of studies to support it), there are no studies I'm aware of that specifically support these claims for yoga's impact on autism.
Be that as it may, yoga certainly isn't going to cause anyone any harm - and at worst, your child may hate it. If he does, you can quit. If he doesn't, you will have developed an opportunity to share a fun, mildly therapeutic activity that has the potential to be a lifelong interest.
If you do feel that you have the time and interest to share yoga with individuals on the autism spectrum, this is certainly the book to grab. If you're an adult on the spectrum interested in finding a technique for reducing stress, this book may also be helpful.
