Benefits of Physical Activity for Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Comprehensive Review

Abstract

Research demonstrates substantial health benefits of physical activity (PA), especially moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA). Several studies suggest that MVPA may be especially beneficial to children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) including improved physiological, cognitive, psychological, and behavioral functioning. However, few PA-based interventions have targeted adolescents with ASD, when PA rates are shown to decline significantly, primarily focusing instead on children with ASD. Furthermore, these studies have varied significantly in methodological rigor, making it difficult to disentangle consistent findings of effective intervention. Given that a majority of adolescents with ASD fail to meet national recommendations for daily PA and demonstrate lower rates of PA relative to their nondisabled peers, identifying effective interventions for this population is needed. The purpose of this systematic review was to collect and synthesize evidence from the studies of PAbased interventions for adolescents with ASD (N=19) to identify benefits of PA and effective strategies for increasing PA in adolescents with ASD. The strongest empirical support for the benefits of PA was identified for self-regulation, health, and motor skills, while evidence remains limited or absent for benefits related to improvements to cognitive, language, and sensorimotor functioning. Highly effective intervention mechanisms identified included prompting, modeling, praise, and structured teaching.

Promoting physical activity for children with autism spectrum disorders during Coronavirus outbreak: benefits, strategies, and examples

“…Through these activities, the social behavior (Gregor et al 2018), communication skills (Yarımkaya et al 2017) of children with ASD develop and their quality of life improves (Groff et al 2009). Moreover, participation in physical activities contributes to the reduction of aggression behavior (Allison et al 1991), stress levels (Hillier et al 2011) and behavioral problems (Lang et al 2010;Sorensen and Zarrett 2014) of children with ASD. Block and Obruniskova (2007) stated that children with special needs such as ASD can participate in the physical activities successfully if they are given sufficient support.…”

Physical Activity Levels, Frequency, and Type Among Adolescents with and Without Autism Spectrum Disorder

“…Knowledge of the types and variety of physical activities that children with ASD engage in, as well as the frequency of participation in specific activities, would broaden what is already known about physical activity behaviors in this population. Despite extensive research documenting the physical activity habits of TD children and repeated calls to examine the physical activity needs of children with disabilities (Rimmer & Rowland, 2008; Sorensen & Zarrett, 2014), a more complete characterization of the physical activity behavior of this population is essential to inform and improve interventions. The purpose of the present study was to extend the physical activity research involving adolescents with ASD by assessing and characterizing their participation in moderate and vigorous intensity activity.…”

The Effects of Exercise Dose on Stereotypical Behavior in Children with Autism

“…Briefly, some of these shortcomings include inadequate sample size, absence of a control condition, lack of accounting for exercise intensity, and use of nonhomogeneous samples; that is, individuals with ASD being grouped with other mental/cognitive disorders (9,24,30,37). The present study addresses the common methodological faults of previous studies by using a relatively greater number of only ASD participants, applying well-defined exercise standards in accordance with the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) guidelines and consistently quantifying exercise duration and intensity using continuous HR monitoring and a rating of perceived exertion (33,38).…”