Yoga for Speech-Language Development

Combining years of experience as certified speech-language pathologists and as qualified yoga teachers, the authors of this pioneering book explain how yoga can be used to aid speech-language development in children up to age 12.

The book includes a range of yoga-based exercises for improving pre-linguistic communication, vocabulary development and motor planning for speech. The text is enriched by illustrations of children in each yoga pose, so no prior experience of yoga is necessary to help children carry out each activity. The book also provides information on using this approach with children with neurodevelopmental and intellectual disabilities, including ADHD and autism.

Susan E. Longtin, PhD, CCC-SLP, is Associate Professor and Chair in the Department of Speech Communication Arts and Sciences at Brooklyn College of the City University of New York with interests in language development, language disorders in children, and autism spectrum disorders. She is a licensed, certified speech-language pathologist who has worked in school and clinical settings. She has published her research in peer-reviewed journals and presented at state and national conventions. She completed a 200-hour yoga teacher training through the Genesis East West Studies and Tree of Life Yoga Teacher's Association studio and participated in an Introduction to YogaKids® workshop. Dr. Longtin has been a yoga practitioner and child language specialist for over forty years.

Jessica A. Fitzpatrick, MS, CCC-SLP, is a licensed, certified speech-language pathologist who currently evaluates and treats children diagnosed with various developmental disabilities in the Yonkers Public Schools in New York. She has also worked in hospital and private practice settings. She completed a 200-hour hatha raja vinyasa yoga teacher training at BambooMoves and regularly leads yoga classes and workshops in New York.