At Kalma Life, our aim is to be inclusive, providing an environment where all children are welcomed. Some children may need extra support and for some there may be specific ways yoga can help and should be focused on for the maximum benefit for the child. Below are some examples of the common issues seen in this age range of children. Make sure you are familiar with these common Additional Needs that you may come across with children in your classes.

Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) (ADHD)

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is defined by two broad groups of behavioural problems: inattentiveness and a combination of hyperactivity and impulsiveness.  Common symptoms within these groups include a short attention span, restlessness, being easily distracted and constant fidgeting.  ADHD is the most common behavioural disorder in the UK.  It is estimated that the condition affects between 3-9% of school aged children and young people.  ADHD can be a life-long condition and many children who have it continue to have symptoms in adolescence and adulthood.  However, it is still uncertain as to whether ADHD can occur in adults without first appearing in childhood.  Children naturally have a tendency towards the kind of behaviour that ADHD causes, but this behaviour should not be confused with ADHD.  There are several criteria that must be met for a child to be diagnosed with ADHD.

Symptoms of ADHD tend to start at an early age and they may become more noticeable when a child’s circumstances change – such as starting school.  Many people with ADHD also have additional problems such as sleep disorders, low self-esteem and learning difficulties.  However, ADHD has no effect on intelligence.  There is no cure for ADHD but it can be managed using medication.  There are several medical treatments for ADHD all of which should be accompanied by psychological educational and social therapies.

Symptoms of ADD/ADHD

The symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) can be catergorised into two broad groups of behavioural problems – symptoms of inattentiveness and symptoms of hyperactivity and impulsiveness.  It is not fully understood whether these problems are an extreme form of normal behaviour or part of a separate range of behaviour altogether.  The symptoms of ADHD in children and adolescents are well defined.  The main symptoms of each behavioural problem are detailed below:

Inattentiveness

• a very short attention span
• being very easily distracted
• being unable to stick at tasks that are tedious or time consuming
• being unable to listen to or carry out instructions
• being unable to concentrate
• constantly changing activity or task

Hyperactivity

• being unable to sit still, especially in calm or quiet surroundings
• constantly fidgeting
• being unable to settle to tasks and
• Excessive physical movement.

Impulsiveness

• being unable to wait for a turn
• acting without thinking
• breaking any set rules and
• little or no sense of danger

It is thought that up to 35% of children with ADHD also have learning difficulties.  However, it is important to remember that ADHD has no effect on intelligence.

How Yoga can help a child with ADD/ADHD

Yoga is a blend of stretching, relaxation, meditation and advanced breathing technique and has helped millions of people worldwide leave stress and anxiety behind.  A recent study determined what was already assumed, Yoga did in fact produce a significant drop in hyperactivity, anger and tension.

Typically, children with ADD are:

• Easily distracted
• Often frustrated
• Impatient
• Impulsive
• Talkative
• Forgetful

They also have low self-esteem and confidence, leading to them having difficulty socialising. With ADHD they also display hyperactivity.

Yoga can help those with ADD by:

During and after a Yoga session participants heart rate decreased while breathing slowed.  Learning the art of slow, steady, relaxed breathing during times of anxiety is perhaps the greatest benefit that Yoga therapy delivers for those with ADHD. 

When breathing is relaxed more oxygen is able to make its way to the brain, leading to better concentration and a heightened state of alertness.  This benefit occurs in all people of all ages, regardless of their prior ability to focus.

Anxiety or stress is part or all of our lives but can be particularly damaging for those suffering from ADHD.  Stress can become particularly severe for adults at work or at home.  Stress is magnified in ADHD children by the structured dynamic created by the classroom environment and can make homework difficult to complete.  Struggles to interact with other children (one of the major symptoms of an ADHD child) may be exasperated by a strictly structured school environment.  These two factors may partially explain why Yoga classes for kids are now being offered in schools and studios worldwide.

We can help those with ADD in class by:

• Ensuring they have sufficient personal space
• Establish trust and make eye contact
• Adequate praise
• Focus on breathing
• Incorporating forward bends
• Putting moves together to aid memory e.g. Sun Salutation
• Making noise to release tension
• Including restorative poses

Cerebral Palsy 

This condition is caused by damage to the brain during either pregnancy, childbirth or due to infection. It affects posture, causes hypertonia and limits movement.

Initial symptoms

The symptoms of cerebral palsy will normally become apparent in the first three years of the Childs life.  They may show signs of being slower in achieving important developmental milestones such as learning to roll over or crawl in infancy, walk or speak.  You may find children with this condition may also suffer with their muscle tone-this is the unconscious ability to contract or relax your muscles as needed.

There are two types of muscles tone:

Hypertonia- increased muscle tone in which the child can appear stiff or rigid.

Hypotonia- the opposite of above in which the child may appear floppy.

There are three types of this condition:

Spastic – muscles are resistant to movement through over contraction

Athetoid – muscles switch between tense and floppy rapidly causing involuntary movements such as twisting, turning, writhing and drooling

Ataxic – lack of balance, poor coordination and special awareness and tremors due to damage to the cerebellum

Yoga can help those with cerebral palsy by:

• Stretching and releasing the muscles by holding poses to reduce hypertonia
• Mobilising and elongating the spine

Encouraging Yoga practice and relaxation can enormously help reduce high muscle tone, which is characteristic of most children with cerebral palsy.  Holding a posture will give the muscles and tendons a relaxing stretch, releasing overall stress and tightness throughout the muscles and joints.  At the same time that postures relax the body, they also provide just enough resistance to exercise low muscle tone areas of the body.  In this way postures improve high and low muscle tone problems in children with cerebral palsy.

One of the most important parts of Yoga practice for children with cerebral palsy is its ability to stretch and realign the spine.  Postures flex and twist the spine in all directions.  Reducing the pressure on the radial nerves facilitates the release of muscular tension throughout the body and enhances overall nerve function.  As a result, the child is able to develop a greater range of movement and coordination as well as greater independence and better self-esteem.

Do any Yoga moves which strengthen the body and give alignment and symmetry as well as stretch which involves both sides of the brain such as diagonals. 

To summerise e can help those with cerebral palsy in class by:

• Using breathing techniques to stretch the spine and calm the mind
• Incorporating lying and sitting warm ups and cool downs for those who cannot stand
• Using chanting to allow a child with cerebral palsy to feel the vibrations in the same way the rest of the class will despite physical limitations
• Using bridge to strengthen neck, back, thigh leg and buttock muscles, flex the spine. Cobra pose to strengthen the head, neck and arms, spinal alignment. Childs pose for deeper breathing and stretching the spine. Downward Dog to stretch the hamstrings and relieve stiffness in the shoulders. Twists to strengthen spine and make it supple.
• Relaxation is very important to teach the child to relax the muscles.

Autism

Autism is a lifelong developmental disability which affects how people communicate and interact with the world. One in 100 people are on the autism spectrum and there are around 700,000 autistic adults and children in the UK. Autism is a spectrum condition and affects people in different ways. Like all people, autistic people have their own strengths and weaknesses. Below is a list of difficulties autistic people may share, including the two key difficulties required for a diagnosis.

Social communication

Autistic people have difficulties with interpreting both verbal and non-verbal language like gestures or tone of voice. Some autistic people are unable to speak or have limited speech while other autistic people have very good language skills but struggle to understand sarcasm or tone of voice. Other challenges include:

• taking things literally and not understanding abstract concepts
• needing extra time to process information or answer questions
• repeating what others say to them (this is called echolalia)

Social interaction

Autistic people often have difficulty ‘reading’ other people – recognising or understanding others’ feelings and intentions – and expressing their own emotions. This can make it very hard to navigate the social world. Autistic people may:

• appear to be insensitive
• seek out time alone when overloaded by other people
• not seek comfort from other people
• appear to behave ‘strangely’ or in a way thought to be socially inappropriate
• find it hard to form friendships.

Repetitive and restrictive behaviour

With its unwritten rules, the world can seem a very unpredictable and confusing place to autistic people. This is why they often prefer to have routines so that they know what is going to happen. They may want to travel the same way to and from school or work, wear the same clothes or eat exactly the same food for breakfast. 

Autistic people may also repeat movements such as hand flapping, rocking or the repetitive use of an object such as twirling a pen or opening and closing a door. Autistic people often engage in these behaviours to help calm themselves when they are stressed or anxious, but many autistic people do it because they find it enjoyable. 

Change to routine can also be very distressing for autistic people and make them very anxious. It could be having to adjust to big events like Christmas or changing schools, facing uncertainty at work, or something simpler like a bus detour that can trigger their anxiety. 

Over- or under-sensitivity to light, sound, taste or touch

Autistic people may experience over- or under-sensitivity to sounds, touch, tastes, smells, light, colours, temperatures or pain. For example, they may find certain background sounds like music in a restaurant, which other people ignore or block out, unbearably loud or distracting. This can cause anxiety or even physical pain. Many autistic people prefer not to hug due to discomfort, which can be misinterpreted as being cold and aloof.

Many autistic people avoid everyday situations because of their sensitivity issues. Schools, workplaces and shopping centres can be particularly overwhelming and cause sensory overload. There are many simple adjustments that can be made to make environments more autism-friendly. 

Highly focused interests or hobbies

Many autistic people have intense and highly focused interests, often from a fairly young age. These can change over time or be lifelong. Autistic people can become experts in their special interests and often like to share their knowledge. A stereotypical example is trains but that is one of many. Greta Thunberg’s intense interest, for example, is protecting the environment.

Like all people, autistic people gain huge amounts of pleasure from pursuing their interests and see them as fundamental to their wellbeing and happiness.

Being highly focused helps many autistic people do well academically and in the workplace but they can also become so engrossed in particular topics or activities that they neglect other aspects of their lives. 

Extreme anxiety

Anxiety is a real difficulty for many autistic adults, particularly in social situations or when facing change. It can affect a person psychologically and physically and impact quality of life for autistic people and their families.  

It is very important that autistic people learn to recognise their triggers and find coping mechanisms to help reduce their anxiety. However, many autistic people have difficulty recognising and regulating their emotions. Over one third of autistic people have serious mental health issues and too many autistic people are being failed by mental health services. 

Meltdowns and shutdowns

When everything becomes too much for an autistic person, they can go into meltdown or shutdown. These are very intense and exhausting experiences.

A meltdown happens when someone becomes completely overwhelmed by their current situation and temporarily loses behavioural control.  This loss of control can be verbal (eg shouting, screaming, crying) or physical (eg kicking, lashing out, biting) or both. Meltdowns in children are often mistaken for temper tantrums and parents and their autistic children often experience hurtful comments and judgmental stares from less understanding members of the public. 

A shutdown appears less intense to the outside world but can be equally debilitating. Shutdowns are also a response to being overwhelmed, but may appear more passive – eg an autistic person going quiet or ‘switching off’. One autistic woman described having a shutdown as: ‘just as frustrating as a meltdown, because of not being able to figure out how to react how I want to, or not being able to react at all; there isn’t any ‘figuring out’ because the mind feels like it is past a state of being able to interpret.’

Asperger syndrome

Asperger Syndrome was introduced to the world by British psychiatrist Lorna Wing in the 1980s. The term derives from a 1944 study by Austrian paediatrician Hans Asperger (new evidence about his problematic history has recently been revealed and provoked a big debate). Many people who fit the profile for Asperger syndrome are now being diagnosed with Autistic Spectrum Disorder instead. Each person is different, and it is up to each individual how they choose to identify. Some people with a diagnosis of Asperger syndrome may choose to keeping using the term, while others may prefer to refer to themselves as autistic or on the autistic spectrum. 

Asperger syndrome is a diagnosis previously given to certain autistic people. Autism Spectrum Disorder is now the most commonly given diagnosis.

Autism is a spectrum condition. All autistic people share certain difficulties, but being autistic will affect them in different ways. Some people with Asperger syndrome also have mental health issues or other conditions, meaning people need different levels and types of support. People with Asperger syndrome see, hear and feel the world differently to other people. If you have Asperger syndrome, you have it for life – it is not an illness or disease and cannot be ‘cured’. Often people feel that Asperger syndrome is a fundamental aspect of their identity. 

People with Asperger syndrome don’t have the learning disabilities that many autistic people have, but they may have specific learning difficulties. They may have fewer problems with speech but may still have difficulties with understanding and processing language.

How do people with Asperger syndrome see the world?

Some people with Asperger syndrome say the world feels overwhelming and this can cause them considerable anxiety. In particular, understanding and relating to other people, and taking part in everyday family, school, work and social life, can be harder. Other people appear to know, intuitively, how to communicate and interact with each other, yet can also struggle to build rapport with people with Asperger syndrome. People with Asperger syndrome may wonder why they are ‘different’ and feel their social differences mean people don’t understand them.

Autistic people often do not ‘look’ disabled. Some parents of autistic children say that other people simply think their child is naughty, while adults may find that they are misunderstood. 

How yoga can help a child with autism and Asperger Syndrome

We know that children work very hard to overcome challenges daily when they have autism or Asperger syndrome. We can teach children yoga so they can learn techniques to calm and de-stress themselves. By adding family members into the mix, they have the chance to partner in yoga poses and breathing exercises while learning effective de-escalation strategies to use at home.

Yoga can help to:

• Reduces stress.
  Yoga provides a calming atmosphere, allowing children to slow down. Breathing strategies help reduce irritability, regulate heart rates and release difficult emotions. Mindful breathwork also serves as a self-soothing tool and potential replacement behavior for other obsessive, aggressive or self-stimulatory behaviors.
• Improves concentration and balance.
  Along with breathwork, practicing yoga poses encourages children to focus on the task at hand. Guided imagery can also help within the class as the act of listening and mentally acting out scenes can help build cognitive skills and concentration overall.
• Increases strength and flexibility.
  It’s no secret that these are included in the physical benefits of yoga postures and stretching, but with these often come enhanced coordination, sensory tolerance and reduction of pain.
• Improves gross and fine motor skills.
  Yoga builds body awareness, bringing attention to different types of movement. This includes postural skills, which can even support children in learning to sit up straight in chairs.
• Encourage peer and social interactions.
  Following the lead of the yoga instructor, repetition and listening to one’s own body and mind can aid in developing emotional, language and communication skills, which can be translated to other social interactions.
• Leads to better sleep.
  Less stress often paves the way for better sleep, since relaxed minds and muscles are more open to rest.
• Builds confidence.
  Maybe best of all, yoga can create a positive sense of self. For kids with autism, the fun and powerful poses can make them feel successful. This is true for individuals of all abilities since there are modifications that can be built upon over time.