46 Yoga for Speech-Language Development
children with ASD. Their study revealed that the students
participating in the specialized yoga program showed significantly
decreased maladaptive behaviors, including irritability, lethargy,
social withdrawal, hyperactivity, and noncompliance. While we
recognize these numerous sensory, motor, and regulatory benefits
of yoga, our emphasis in this book is on speech, language, and
communication for children who are developing typically, as well
as those with neurodevelopmental challenges.
Speech, language, and communication problems are prevalent
as primary or secondary symptoms in all neurodevelopmental
conditions. For example, children with language impairment and
speech sound disorders have primary challenges in language
and speech. Children with ASD present with primary impairments
in communication, a core characteristic of the condition. In this
book, we will address five neurodevelopmental disorders for which
we believe yoga can provide an excellent complement to traditional
speech-language therapy: language disorders, speech sound
disorders, intellectual disabilities, ASD, and attention deficit/
hyperactivity disorders (AD/HD). Of note, these conditions are
not mutually exclusively and, in fact, often co-occur. For example,
intellectual disability is strongly associated with a language
disorder. Many, but not all, children with ASD have co-morbid
intellectual disability and language impairment. The descriptions
of these populations will be primarily based on the Diagnostic and
Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (American
Psychiatric Association 2013). All of the impairments associated
with these disorders must significantly impact the children’s
social, academic, and psychological functioning. In Chapters 4
through 9, we will infuse suggestions for the use of yoga to
enhance speech, language, and communication development in
children with these neurodevelopmental disorders.
Because of the limited evidence regarding yoga for speech,
language, and communication, the authors of this book will