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conferenceseries
.com
Volume 7
Journal of Traditional Medicine & Clinical Naturopathy
Traditional Medicine 2018
November 12-13, 2018
November 08-09, 2018 Auckland, New Zealand
8
th
International Conference and Exhibition on
Traditional & Alternative Medicine
Sonal Sharma, J Tradit Med Clin Natur 2018, Volume 7
DOI: 10.4172/2573-4555-C3-008
Parental perceptions of yoga benefits on the social-emotional development of individuals with
disabilities: A survey study
Sonal Sharma
San Jose State University, USA
A
lthough there is a progressive trend toward the use of yoga as a mind-body complementary and alternative medicine
intervention, there isn’t sufficient research on the benefits of yoga for individuals with disabilities. This study evaluated the
parental perceptions of yoga benefits in enhancing the social-emotional development of their children with disabilities. Eighteen
(18) parents of individuals with disabilities participated in the online and paper survey. The survey instrument included six
demographic questions and 18 close-ended Likert-scale questions. The survey was designed to collect data on the perceptions
of parents about yoga benefits for their child with regards to three major components of Social-Emotional Learning (SEL): Self-
regulation skills, social skills and behavior and decision-making skills. A quantitative analysis of data was utilized with the Qualtrics
survey software. Descriptive statistics (i.e., percentage scores) were utilized to analyze response scores of the 18 participants. The
results indicated that almost 80% of participants agreed that yoga was helpful in enhancing their child’s ability to focus, stay calm,
regulate their emotions and be aware of their surroundings. Almost 50% of participants disagreed that yoga had no influence on
their child’s ability to communicate and understand the emotions of others. Over half i.e. 63% of participants agreed that after
practicing yoga, their child was more organized, flexible to changes and had improved ability to follow directions and resolve
conflicts. These data suggest that yoga may be effective in enhancing the social, emotional and physical well-being of individuals
with disabilities.
Biography
Sonal Sharma has completed her BE in Mechanical Engineering from India. She has served as a Naval Architect Officer in the Indian Navy for 2.5 years. After
moving to the USA, she earned an MA in Special Education with Early Childhood Education Specialist Credential from San Jose State University, California. She
has worked in the field of special education for over 5 years, serving individuals with autism, intellectual disability and orthopedic impairments. She is currently
working as an Early Childhood Specialist in the Bay Area, California.
sonal.sharma@sjsu.edu