The Effect of SuperBrain Yoga Exercise on Fluid Intelligence, Visual Spatial Perception, academic achievement and Balance in Children with Down syndrome

Down syndrome is one of the most common genetic diseases with mild to moderate intellectual disabilities. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of superbrain yoga exercise on fluid intelligence, visual spatial perception, academic achievement and balance in children with down syndrome. This quasi-experimental study was conducted as a pretest-posttest with control group. The statistical population of the study included all students with Down syndrome in Tehran. Participants were 20 educable Down syndrome boys in elementary exceptional school of Shahid Beheshti with mean age (8/2±0/89) which selected by convenience sampling and randomly assigned into two experimental (n=10) and control (n=10) groups. The experimental group performed 12 weeks of experimental Yoga exercises. The data collection tools were Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children - Fifth Ed and Static Equilibrium Stack Test. Shapirowilk, Levene and independent t tests of gained scores were used for data analysis. Superbrain yoga exercises did not have a significant effect on fluid intelligence (t =1. 06, P=0/30), Visual Spatial Perception (t =1/29, P=0/21) and static equilibrium (t = /45, P=0/65), but there was a significant effect on academic achievement of children (t = 2. 46, P=0/02). The results of this study showed that it would be advisable to use Superbrain Yoga exercises in educational achievement for Children with Intellectual Disabilities, along with other commonly used educational programs.