Yoga as a Supportive Intervention for Emotional Regulation among Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Abstract

Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) frequently struggle with emotional regulation that impacts their involvement in classroom, academic, and social activities in inclusive education environments. Students with ASD can sometimes react to the classroom environment with anxiety, frustration, impulsive responses and struggles to adapt to the routine. These challenges often create difficulties in learning and in attending classes in the mainstream. In recent years, yoga has gained attention as a holistic mind–body practice that may support emotional stability, self-regulation, and psychological well-being among children with developmental disabilities. The present study aimed to explore the role of yoga as a supportive intervention for improving emotional regulation among students with autism spectrum disorder in Inclusive schools of Delhi.
This study used convergent mixed methods research design (Creswell & Creswell, 2018) to combine quantitative and qualitative approaches. The students with autism spectrum disorder attending Inclusive schools of Delhi, their teachers and parents were included in the population. The study used purposive sampling, which entailed 30 students with ASD, 10 special educators, and 20 parents. The quantitative data collecting tools were the Emotional Regulation Rating Scale and the structured questionnaires, while the qualitative data collecting tools were the semi-structured interviews and classroom observations.
An 8-week yoga intervention program was carried out and included a combination of simple yoga postures, breathing exercises and relaxation techniques, 3 times a week. Both quantitative data and qualitative responses were analysed by descriptive statistics and thematic analysis respectively.
The results revealed that after the yoga intervention, students' emotional regulation was improved. These changes included a decrease in emotional outbursts and anxiety, and an improvement in calmness, attention and classroom participation. This study highlights the potential of yoga as a culturally and financially accessible intervention in school settings for emotional regulation of students with ASD.