Om Schooled: Perkiomen Valley School District's Adaptive Yoga Program

In September of 2009, I was sent an e-mail by Robin Schwoyer (in photo on left with myself & Chris Hoffner) my former business partner regarding a proposed yoga program for an autism support classroom. After contacting & working with the head teacher Chris Hoffner who proposed the program (Chris is in photo on right) we were very grateful & excited to secure a grant through a cooperative effort of the Perkiomen Valley School Foundation and Best Buy Corporation.

On October first, the funds were awarded in a community ceremony and on October 14th the "Creative Movement Project" began. To date, the kids are responding in positive ways and having fun with it as they learn new skills and re-enforce the ones they have already acquired.
I've been keeping notes & a journal of progress, and have decided to make parts of it public. (The names & personal information regarding staff & students won't be used unless with permission.)

When educators, parents, schools, families & communities work together, it benefits the children in ways we could never imagine! That is the intention of this exciting pilot program. We hope more educators and schools will follow this district's lead.

I want to again thank Robin, the teachers, support staff, parents, the Perkiomen School Foundation & Best Buys for making this program possible! We will keep everyone posted as to our progress here.

~Barbara


10/28/09: The class of 8 (all boys) did well today with some minor distractions. 2 of the students told me (in their own way) that they had a hard time sitting on the floor, so I showed them and their support staff how to modify their sitting posture to make their own bodies more comfortable. One student stated that "Yoga is for Girls." He did however like the printed material I gave them showing all the professional athletes that use yoga in their training and did well with "Flip Dog" the challenge posture. (his favorite!) He said he changed his mind about yoga being for girls. There is one non-verbal student that did well also and I am attempting to further modify the activities so he can communicate with me & his peers. The boys are very helpful and supportive of him, one student observing: "I used to be like him-I just didn't want to talk much, so I understand." Two of the students needed to take a few breaks during the 30-minute class due to minor anxiety at the new experience. The idea of "doing your best and have fun" is emphasised over perfection. Overall they said they liked it and wanted to know what we were doing next week. When I asked them if they liked a challenge, one student replied "Bring it ON!!!": )


12/02/09: Today was our 5th class! The students have made good progress individually as well as a class! The overall atmosphere of the class I would describe as cooperative and eager to learn. They have learned to recognize stress in the body (through me demonstrating my "crunched-up" face/body) and how to use the breath & slower movements to relax. They have learned simple imagery & other self-calming techniques and are starting to learn when to apply them. These students are very willing to attempt the more challenging poses and overall attentiveness, verbal & kinesthetic participation is excellent! Next week, the students will be starting an interactive, non-competitive & yoga game designed specifically for this class. The objective of the game is to create greater awareness & self regulation through the use of physical challenges, (poses) academic challenges (general questions) and character challenges (problem solving scenarios). The students will also help each other through the challenges to earn points towards their next challenge level. They and I are looking forward to it! Stay tuned...


1/28/10: The staff told me that boys missed me/yoga after the holiday vacation and me being sick for a few weeks. One boy told me he did his "Sun Salutations" at home (unprompted) when he wanted to get away from the noisy house. :) ["Sun Salutations" is a series of movements, one flowing into the next that exercises and stretches all the major areas of the body. It can be done slowly for calm and focus or aerobically for strength, stamina and improved balance/coordination.] Last week we worked on partner poses, which required each partner to do their part. There was a bit of hedging from one or two students as to who I partnered them with, but after an explanation of how a person might feel if you exclude them and how do THEY feel when excluded, all was well. Today we continued our game and worked on feet/ankle/leg strengthening poses and activities. The group was very attentive-minimal calling out and no one needed a "break". At the end of class, we learned foot massage (on themselves) for calming/relaxation (the staff liked that!) and did a 4 minute relaxation/imagery exercise in which everyone (except one) was still and quiet for the whole 4 minutes! Awesome! One student remarked that: " Wow! I felt like I was in a dream!" They continue to enjoy and do their best.


For more information on yoga workshops, classes and events, please visit:  BodyLogique Creative Fitness

The Connection Between Sensory Integration & Yoga

Yoga is an ancient exercise science designed to calm and connect the whole person, Body, Mind and Spirit. The word “yoga” means “to bring together”. When practiced regularly, it can improve focus, strength, flexibility and overall health.

Sensory Integration (or “S.I”) is a dynamic part of being human. Simply stated, it is the useful organization of sensations by the nervous system. It is a continual process of Mind and Body interacting with the environment, receiving and processing information & creating an appropriate response.

Children with autism, ADD, PDD and other processing disorders have difficulty in filtering, sorting out and responding to this information as it comes in through the 5 senses, especially during periods of high stress, discomfort, transitions or chaotic or extremely stimulating environments. Sensory Integration therapy involves a structured & simultaneous stimulation of several senses for the purpose of completing the same activity.

Why are S.I activities so important to a child’s development and learning? One reason is that they train the brain to properly digest & use the countless bits of information being received every moment so that an appropriate response or behavior can be formed. Generalization is when the child learns to apply the process of integration in other areas & occurs automatically from imitation & repetition. It is a vital element of the learning process as well as for cultivating self-esteem. As an activity becomes more familiar, it becomes centrally programmed in the nervous system & more automatic & then becomes sensory motor memory.

Yoga itself is a natural form of sensory integration and It can be adapted to a variety of ages, learning styles and environments. Yoga will assist in facilitating many of the same skills as conventional S.I. as all 5 senses are stimulated & integrated during a 30-45 minute yoga session:

Tactile/Touch- bare feet feeling floor or mat, hands touchin various parts of body for support, instructor's physical prompts

Proprioception-(muscles, joints, body awareness) balancing & weight bearing postures, changing body positions, repetitive flow of postures

Vestibular-( posture & balance, muscle tone, motor control & language skills) transitions between postures, directional changes, stop/start motions & flexion/extension movements.

Visual -(actions of eyes muscles & the ability of the hand to copy what the eye sees, visual discrimination memory/sequencing.) Imitation of postures, sequencing postures

Auditory - (Processing heard information, sound recognition & reproduction, discriminating between sounds) Story telling, repetitive singing/rhymes paired with vestibular activities, imitating sounds.


Some shared benefits of S.I and Yoga include:

Mind/Body Flexibility: Increases ability to adjust to change.

Body Awareness: Improves gross motor planning skills.

Coordination/Balance: Increases participation/confidence during playground/phys-ed activities.

Concentration: Enhances ability to regulate own level of alertness & handle distractions.

Focus: Enhances the experience of attending, participating & learning

Communication: Improves listening and creates spontaneous expression of new skills.

Socialization: Creates opportunities for use of social skills & positive interactions with peers.

Self Confidence: Facilitates independence during functional activities.

Stress Management: Increases motivation & self esteem as it decreases anxiety and fear.

Positive Reinforcement: Enhances experiences of joy and fun.


Public School Phys Ed Standards:

1. Balance while bending and stretching.
2. Recognize that skill development requires practice.
3. Identify various body parts and their location.
4. Create movements using different body parts.
5. Discuss the connection between food, nutrition and energy.
6. Develop responsibility for expected behavior on the playground and in the class room.
7. Stretch basic muscle groups.
8. Co-ordinate individually, with a partner or in a group.
9. Understand how the body functions as a whole.
10. Recognize and appreciate their own and others feelings.
11. Move each joint in a full range of motion.
12. Integrate personal meaning through a creative movement experience.

Elements of Yoga:

1. Many yoga poses incorporate balancing, and all use stretching.
2. Practicing over a period of time yields noticeable Improvements.
3. Instructor discusses and uses graphic demonstration of anatomy
4. Yoga utilizes all body parts in its regime.
5. Instructor discusses how food affects our bodies and minds.
6. Yoga involves the development of self-discipline and concentration as well as respect for others.
7. The practice of yoga affects every muscle group in the body.
8. Yoga provides opportunities for group or partner experiences.
9. a holistic viewpoint of the body is a basic part of yoga.
10. Through yoga, a variety of feelings arise, and the instructor emphasizes validating feelings.
11. Students learn to move every joint, with an emphasis on safely extending the range of motion.
12. Yoga practice is as much an introspective meditation as it is a system of physical exercise, so it encourages personal meaning.

Resources:

S.M.I.L.Y (Sensory Motor Integration Learning with Yoga) - http://www.kidsmusicandmovement.com/

April Merilee, M.A, OTR "Yoga for the Special Child"- http://www.specialyoga.com/SoniaSumar

“Fly Like A Butterfly” http://www.childrensyoga.com/butterfly.htm   (Shakta Khalsa)

"Building Bridges Through Sensory Integration" (Therapy for Children with Autism and other Pervasive Developmental Disorders), Ellen Yack, B.Sc., M.Ed., O.T, Paula Aquilla, B.Sc.,O.T, & Shirley Sutton, B.Sc.,O.T,


Sensory Games : S.M.Art Kids Yoga ™



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