With the school year fast approaching, we are always looking for ways to help our children achieve success.  Within the school setting, performance is greatly affected by attention.  As therapists, teachers, and parents we often look for strategies to improve sensory regulation and arousal to improve a child's attention.  However, sometimes there is more than just regulation and arousal that affects attention.  Children who present with lower muscle tone often demonstrate decreased attention.  These are the children who are observed to have a more difficult time sitting up in their desks with proper posture.  Often times they are the ones who are leaning over their paperwork, holding their heads up with their hands, or slouching in their seats.   These children may be labeled as "lazy" and "uncooperative".   Also, students who present with low tone often fatigue faster. This can be observed in the gross motor activities of physical education class to the many handwriting and cutting tasks completed in the classroom.  Because of the fatigue, they are seen to take breaks throughout assignments and may appear to be less focused on their school work as a result.
 
To help address concerns with tone, it is important to focus on core stability and strength.  Using yoga as part of your treatment or daily routine at home or school is an ideal way to address overall stability.   There are a variety of child yoga programs and picture cards available to help make the use of yoga fun!  In addition, the resource book Core Concepts in Action by Shelia M. Frick, OTR and Mary J. Kawar, MS, OTR provides a variety of activities and tasks to help achieve this few required supplies.