Effectiveness of Yoga Training as an Adjunct Intervention Alongside Multisensory Teaching in Enhancing Self-esteem and Behavioural Parameters of Children with Learning Disorders

Description

Page: 281-287

Amble Tom and Amool Ranjan Singh (Department of Clinical Psychology, Ranchi Institute of Neuro-Psychiatry and Allied Sciences, Ranchi, Jharkhand)

Specific Learning Disabilities (SLD) have gained increasing attention from the scientific community due to their diverse characteristics and significant impact on academic outcomes. Children with SLD often experience emotional consequences, leading to vulnerabilities in mental health. This study explores the potential of adjunct yoga training, a holistic wellness approach, with multisensory teaching, an educational method that engages multiple senses during learning activities, in enhancing self-esteem and addressing behavioural challenges faced by children with learning disorders. The research sample consists of thirty children with learning disorders attending primary school in Ranchi, India, who were randomly assigned to three groups: a multisensory teaching intervention group, a combined multisensory teaching and yoga training group, and a waitlist control group. The participants were obtained through purposive sampling after diagnosis of specific learning disorders with the aid of Malin’s Intelligence Scale for Indian Children (MISIC) and NIMHANS Index for Specific Learning Disabilities (NISLD). Coppersmith’s Self-Esteem Inventory (CSEI) and Strength and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) were used to assess the self-esteem and behavioural challenges of the participants before and after the intervention. All the thirty patients recruited completed the intervention and assessments at baseline and post-intervention. Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software – version 21.0 (SPSS, Chicago, IL, USA) was employed to analyse the data obtained from baseline and post-intervention assessment of the study participants. Descriptive statistics were used to describe the demographic, clinical and other psychosocial variables. Kruskal Wallis test was used to compare the participants of the study groups across the scores obtained in the and post-intervention. The results show that both multisensory and combined multisensory teaching with yoga training interventions effectively enhanced general and social self-esteem in children with learning disorders. Furthermore, adding yoga training to multisensory teaching led to significantly higher self-esteem scores in the school-academic domain. Regarding behavioural outcomes, both interventions significantly reduced emotional problems, conduct problems, and peer relationship issues compared to the waitlist control group. The study highlights the positive effects of multisensory teaching on self-esteem and behavioural parameters in children with learning disorders. Including yoga training as an adjunct to multisensory teaching greatly enhances school academic self-esteem and prosocial behaviour. The findings advocate for integrating yoga training alongside traditional remedial educational approaches to improve the self-esteem and behaviour of children with learning disorders.