Yoga and Autism: Students’ Perspectives on the Get Ready To Learn Yoga Program

Abstract

Background: Yoga, a complementary health approach known for various therapeutic effects, is used with diverse populations, including students ASD. Limited evidence exists inclusive of the first-hand perspective of students with ASD who participate in yoga. The purpose of this study is to understand the perspective of students 10 and 14 years of age with ASD who participated in a portion of the GRTL yoga program as part of a physical education class. Method: Using a qualitative design, this study examined the student perspective on the GRTL yoga program. A convenience sample of seven male participants between 10 and 14 years of age with ASD, all students at a private school, participated in the study. The participants engaged in the GRTL yoga program for four 45-min sessions and then were interviewed following the final yoga session. Conventional content analysis was used to analyze the participant perspectives as it relates to the GRTL yoga program. Results: Research team analysis of the transcribed interviews revealed two themes: positive behavioral responses and self-efficacy of kinesthetic recall. Conclusion: This study demonstrates the use of the GRTL yoga program as it relates to the student perspective and indicates the need for further investigation with the inclusion of the participant voice.