Abstract:Background: Neurodevelopmental disorders impact cognitive and learning processes. Children with learning disabilities face health disadvantages and have shorter lifespans. Research shows that yoga benefits neurodevelopmental disorders like autism.
Aims: This study explores long term yoga’s therapeutic impact on cognitive functions in children with learning disability.
Settings and Design: Two group pre-post design.
Methods and Materials: This study employed a convenient sampling with 60 participants aged 9 to 17 years from Institute for Communicative and Cognitive Neuroscience, (ICCONS), Shoranur, Kerala. They were divided into a yoga (N=30, Mean ± SD;12.43±2.04) and a physical training (N=30, Mean ± SD;13.07±2.33) groups. The yoga group received 60-minutes sessions once a week for 32 weeks, while the physical training group followed their regular routine. Exclusion criteria included cerebral palsy, developmental challenges, Down syndrome, autism, or psychiatric problems. The yoga intervention included asana, Sukshma vyayama, pranayama, kriya, and relaxation techniques. Attention was assessed using the Trial Making Test (TMT 1 & TMT 2) before and after the intervention.
Results: The yoga group showed significant improvement in Trial Making Test I and II compared to the physical training group, with a significant difference between the groups (p = 0.001).
Conclusion: Long-term yoga interventions improved cognitive function in children with learning disabilities, enhancing attention, visual scanning, and mental flexibility more than the physical training group.