The Effects of Yoga on Sensory, Motor, Cognitive Skills, and Perceived Stress in Children With Developmental Coordination Disorder

Yoga Intervention for Improving Sensory, Motor, Cognitive Skills, and Reducing Perceived Stress in Children With Developmental Coordination Disorder

This clinical study aims to investigate the effects of yoga on children with Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD). DCD is a condition that can make it difficult for children to perform everyday activities, as it affects their ability to plan movements, maintain balance, and coordinate their actions. Children with DCD may also experience challenges related to attention, perception, and coping with stress.

The main purpose of this study is to examine whether a structured yoga program can improve children's sensory (how they perceive and process information from their environment), motor (movement and coordination), and cognitive (attention, planning, and problem-solving) skills, as well as reduce their perceived stress levels. Yoga is a holistic approach that includes breathing exercises, body awareness, balance activities, and relaxation techniques, which may support both physical and mental well-being.

The hypothesis of the study is that children with DCD who participate in the yoga program will show greater improvements in sensory-motor and cognitive skills and experience lower levels of perceived stress compared to those who do not participate or who receive standard support. Regular yoga practice is expected to help children become more aware of their bodies, perform movements more effectively, and gain greater independence in daily activities.

The findings of this study are expected to contribute to the development of intervention programs for children with DCD and to provide evidence on whether yoga can be an effective complementary approach to support their overall development.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Cognitive Ability General; Motor Coordination or Function; Developmental Disorder; Sensory Integration Disorder; Development Coordination Disorder; Perceived Stres Level
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: Yoga intervention

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 40
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Turkey (Türkiye)
  • Istanbul, Turkey (Türkiye)
    • Fenerbahçe University

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Child
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Being between 7 and 11 years of age
• Having a diagnosis of Developmental Coordination Disorder according to DSM-5 criteria
• Attending school

Exclusion Criteria:

• Having any comorbid neurological, psychiatric, or orthopedic diagnosis
• Currently participating in an occupational therapy or physiotherapy program

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Yoga Intervention Group; Participants in this group will receive a structured yoga program designed for children with Developmental Coordination Disorder. The program will include breathing exercises, body awareness activities, balance and coordination postures, and relaxation techniques. Sessions will be conducted by a trained professional, delivered in a consistent format, and adapted to the developmental needs of the children. The intervention aims to improve sensory processing, motor coordination, cognitive functions, and reduce perceived stress levels.	Other: Yoga intervention; Participants assigned to the intervention group will receive a structured yoga program specifically designed for children with Developmental Coordination Disorder. The intervention will be delivered over a period of 12 weeks, with one session per week, resulting in a total of 12 sessions. Each session will last approximately 40 minutes and will be conducted by a certified children's yoga instructor. The yoga sessions will be administered in small groups of five participants to ensure individualized attention and active participation. The intervention program is designed to target sensory processing, motor coordination, cognitive functions, and emotional regulation through a combination of physical, breathing, and mindfulness-based activities. Each session will consist of four structured components: Warm-up (5 minutes): This phase will include light physical activities such as running, jumping, stretching, and relaxation exercises. Breathing awareness exercises will also be introduced t
No Intervention: Control Group; Participants in the control group will not receive any intervention following the initial assessment. They will be scheduled for a follow-up appointment, and post-intervention assessments will be conducted after 12 weeks. After the completion of the second assessment, the same yoga intervention applied to the intervention group will be offered to children in the control group to ensure they also benefit from the program.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
The Bruininks-Oseretsky Motor Proficiency Test	The Bruininks-Oseretsky Motor Proficiency Test was used and to assess the gross and fine motor skills of children between the ages of 4 years 5 months and 14 years 5 months. This initial version of the test consisted of 8 subtests and 46 items. Later, in 2005, the test was revised, and the total version (46 items) was revised by removing 14 items and adding 21 items (53 items) to create the Bruininks-Oseretsky Test 2 (BOT-2), which is suitable for individuals aged 4-21 years. BOT-2 includes four motor domains: fine motor control, hand coordination, body coordination, strength, and agility, and a total of eight subtests related to these domains. The highest possible score on this 53-item test is 320. A short formula of 14 items was created for this test, and then in 2010, the number of items was reduced to 12 and revised. The highest possible score during the test is 72.	at baseline (July 2024) and at 12 weeks (September 2024)

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Structured Observations of Sensory Integration- Motor	Structured Observations of Sensory Integration- Motor is a standardized norm-referenced neuropsychiatric test of auditory-regional motor delivery based on Ayres Clinical Observations. The standardization included 1000 children aged between 5 and 14 years 11 months. SOSI-M consists of 14 clinical observations that assess proprioceptive, vestibular processing, motor planning, and postural control. Some of these clinical observations include Romberg test, single-leg standing, modified Schilder's arm extension test, extension against parts, ocular movements (vertical and horizontal), and diadochokinesis. The overall internal performance (Cronbach's alpha) value of the scale is between 0.66 and 0.84. The within-group overall performance value of the scale is 0.98.	at baseline (July 2024) and at 12 weeks (September 2024)
Dynamic Occupational Therapy Cognitive Assessment-Children	This is a standardized test developed by Katz, Golstand, Bar-Ilan et al. (2007) to assess cognitive abilities in children aged 6-12 years. It includes 21 subtests across five domains: orientation, spatial perception, praxis, visual-auditory construction, and thinking processes. The praxis domain comprises three subtests: motor imitation, object use, and symbolic actions. Motor imitation evaluates posture imitation, sequential movements, and responses to verbal commands, with scoring from 0 to 2 based on accuracy; the child has 5 seconds to assume and correct the position. In object use, the child performs specific actions with given objects within 60 seconds, scored from 0 to 2 based on accuracy. In symbolic actions, the child first performs actions with objects and then without them, within 5 seconds, with scores ranging from 0 to 2 based on accuracy.	at baseline (July 2024) and at 12 weeks (September 2024)
Perceived Stress Scale in Children	Developed by Snoeren-Hoefnagels, the test consists of 9 items. This unidimensional scale has a 4-point Likert-type rating scale. The original scale was administered to 223 students (100 girls, 123 boys) aged 8-11 with an average age of 9.50. The Cronbach's Alpha internal consistency reliability coefficient of the scale was found to be .76 and the test-retest correlation was .79. The instructions for the Perceived Stress Scale in Children (8-11 Years) ask the child to answer how appropriate each item is for them when evaluating the past week. High scores on the scale questions indicate a high level of stress. In the scale, which does not contain any reverse items, the total scores obtained by individuals range from 0 to 27 points.	at baseline (July 2024) and at 12 weeks (September 2024)

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Fenerbahce University
• Collaborators: Hacettepe University

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): June 29, 2024
• Primary Completion (Actual): June 29, 2025
• Study Completion (Actual): December 30, 2025

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: April 7, 2026
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 16, 2026
• First Posted (Actual): April 23, 2026

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): April 23, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 16, 2026
• Last Verified: April 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Mental Disorders; Neurodevelopmental Disorders; Developmental Disabilities; Motor Skills Disorders
• Other Study ID Numbers: 2024-52

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No