EFFICACY OF ASHTANGA YOGA ON SOCIAL SKILLS DEVELOPMENT OF CHILDREN WITH HIGH-FUNCTIONING AUTISM

An experimental study was conducted to explore the effectiveness of 'ashtanga yoga' on social skills development of children with high functioning autism spectrum disorder.The pre-test post-test control group design was employed for the study wherein two convenient groups of children with ASD, one enrolled to the CRDAC, Kozhikode,(experimental group) and the other enrolled to BRC,Perambra (control group) were pre-tested for social skills by administering Social Skill Assessment Scale for Children with Autism (Parent version and Teacher version). The experimental group was exposed to 23 one-hour sessions of yogic training spread over six weeks,followed by post-testing of social skills in both the groups. Covariance analysis showed significant improvement in social skills of children with autism in the experimental group, revealing the effectiveness of ashtanga yoga in promoting social skills of children with high functioning autism.Boys and girls in the experimental group differed significantly with respect to the improvement they made in the social skills,the girls excelled the boys.Age of the children with high functioning autism is a decisive factor influencing the effectiveness of ashtanga yoga in improving their social skills, the younger children improved more in their social skills than that made by the older children.