Testimonials and Thoughts from Parents and Students about our program for The Special Child
Ms.Miriyala (Ani's mom) whose son is enrolled in our Yoga for the Special Child Program
Anirudh, fondly called Ani, is diagnosed with Autism. As a part of his diagnosis, he has multiple sensory issues. My parents are ardent followers of yoga and they advised me to start yoga lessons for Ani in order to help him deal with his sensory challenges. Luckily, during my quest for a yoga teacher, I came across Vasanthi's yoga center and I was very much impressed when I learned that she has worked with children, with various disabilities. We immediately started Ani's yoga lessons, one on one with Vasanthi and within 3 months we could see him performing breathing exercises and various yoga postures with support. He was not distracted by his obsessions (lights, fans) anymore and followed his teacher's directions very well.
The quite environment with slow paced classical music soothed him to be connected with his teacher and he enjoyed it very much. Since then he had progressed consistently and today, by the end of 6 months, Ani can perform most of his yoga postures with minimal or no support, with just few verbal reminders. He can also sustain in the yoga poses for more than a min and his muscle tone has certainly become stronger. One more positive aspect of Vasanthi's session is that she talks to Ani all the time during the sessions, asks him questions about his poses, creates a routine for him to follow and also sings to him, which Ani loves the most. We hope to see Ani, understanding the benefits of yoga and making it as a part of his lifestyle to help him improve his focus, attention and increase in his muscle strength and we are confident that Ms.Vasanthi will do her best in attaining our goals.
(August 2009)
Helena, who's child is enrolled in our Yoga for the Special Child Program
Our five year old son was recently diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder and we turned to yoga for extra help. It's only been three weeks but we love it! Yoga is a wonderful way to get him relaxed, focused and most of all release his frustration through breathing techniques.
My friends told me, "Yoga is too much for a five year old," but we wish we found Ms. Vasanthi sooner. Most importantly, our son has a blast during yoga time.
We hope that he overcomes the disability by finding his inner self and strengthening his mind and body through yoga.
(July 2009)
Dawn, who's child is enrolled in our Yoga for the Special Child Program
Thank you for the opportunity to introduce Abby to the healing powers of yoga.
After 14 weeks of hospitalization, Abby has made great progress fighting to regain the use of her body. Meningoencephalitis took away her ability to eat, speak, walk and use her arms. Our little five year old was a baby again. Upon discharge from the hospital, Abby was able to eat, walk wobbly and use her arms with little strength. Abby works now about three hours a day in speech, occupational and physical therapy. It is tough work, and she is a hard worker.
Our doctors are hopeful that Abby will make a full recovery, but it will be a very slow process. Although this is a hopeful prognosis, we want to do everything that we can to help and support Abby's recovery. With the support of Abby's therapists, we sought out the help of Bridge to Learning Special Needs Yoga as a way to supplement our therapy program-particularly as it relates to strengthening her core muscles.
After only a few sessions, we have seen significant results. Going to yoga does not feel like going to therapy. It is really fun. We have found that doing yoga for Abby makes her feel like a regular kid again. She is so proud of her accomplishments, and this has really helped her self-esteem. I think that when she feels good about herself, she works even harder. In fact, after only two yoga sessions, Abby produced more sounds than after months of traditional speech therapy. Her breath control has also improved dramatically. This has also done wonders for her speech.
Surprisingly, we have also seen improvement in concentration and balance. Even to the untrained eye, this work on balance has produced remarkable results in the improvement of her wobbily gait.
We look forward to much more progress and can't thank Bridge to Learning more for their patience, understanding and guidance in helping Abby in her recovery. We still have a long way to go, but it has been so rewarding that I am sure that yoga will be a part of Abby's life for a long time.
(July 2009)
From Cynthia, Leesburg, VA, a member since Jan 2008
My Occupational Therapist strongly recommended a yoga program for my 4
year-old mildly autistic son. I was very trepid about starting such a
program in a group setting so I was very happy to find a one-on-one instructor
who would come to my house and had experience with children with special
needs and autism.
My son has sensory integration difficulties with vestibular and proprioception deficits as well as poor postural control, motor planning and standing balance. One yoga session with Vasanthi addresses all these needs and more. She also works on eye tracking, breathing appropriately and this is important because my son has asthma and he loves the music she brings. Most importantly she makes it fun and exciting for him and he now tells her thank you for coming and I love yoga! He looks forward to yoga every Sunday and as a Physical Therapist
I love the work Vasanthi is doing and the strength my son is gaining with all his poses. He is also learning to relax for a massage and calm himself down which is helpful for meltdown times. I recommend this yoga program as a perfect adjunct to any ABA, OT or PT program in place.