Effect of ashtanga yoga on social skills development of children with high-functioning autism spectrum disorder

The present study aimed to find out the effectiveness of ‘Ashtanga Yoga’ in promoting the social skills of children with high functioning autism spectrum disorder (HFASD). The pre-test post-test control group design was adopted for the study wherein two convenient groups of children with autism (6-14 age group) having an IQ above 70, selected from Kozhikode district of Kerala. The participants in control group (n = 33) and experimental group (n = 36) were pre-tested for their social skills by administering the P-Version (for parents) and T-Version (for teachers) of   the Social Skill Assessment Scale for Children with Autism. The experimental group was then exposed to 23 sessions of a month-long intervention with ‘Ashtanga Yoga’ class at the rate of one hour session per day, while the control group was restrained from getting any such experiences. Cessation of the experimental period is followed by post-testing of the social skills of the participants in both the groups. The significant difference estimated in the mean gain scores of social skills of control group and experimental group revealed the effectiveness of ‘Ashtanga Yoga’ in promoting the social skills of children with high-functioning autism.