As defined by Leo Kanner back in 1943, children with autism have an innate inability to form the usual biologically provided affective contact with people. He suggested that individuals with autism have difficulty reacting to the input of new stimuli encountered on a daily basis and that they live in a world of sameness and aloneness, which if disturbed, causes them to fall into a major panic that does not cease until removal of the perturbation agent. These days, it is well known that a dysfunction of the GABAnergic signaling early in a child's development leads to a server excitation/inhibition imbalance in neuronal circuits, which may be responsible for some of the behavioral deficits observed in individuals on the autism disorder spectrum. 

Today Kim and Tonya discuss the benefits of yoga therapy for Autism Spectrum Disorder as Kim shares her personal experience working with ASD clients and on on her 2017 research proposal on the topic presented at the annual MUIH research symposium and a recent Symposium for Yoga Research (SYR) at Kripalu.  

ASD is associated with behavioral deficits and anxiety. Increasing tolerance in reacting to and managing the input of new stimuli encountered daily are essential components to improve function in everyday life. Abnormal sensory processing deficits may contribute to the lack of socialization and connection with others and is proposed to have correlated with low vagal tone. Yoga interventions have been found to help with vagal tone, anxiety, in ASD and to have benefits in self-regulation for Psychological health. However, no studies have addressed yoga’s effects on tolerance, resilience, regulation of sensory processing, socialization and connection in those with ASD. 

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