Educational exercise program affects to physical fitness and gross motor function differently in the severity of autism spectrum disorder

Abstract

This study investigated the effects of participating in an educational exercise program on physical fitness and gross motor function (GMF) in adults with varying degrees of autistic spectrum disorder (ASD). The subjects consisted of 35 voluntary male participants between 20 and 29 years of age who were allocated to one of two groups: mild ASD (n= 17) group and severe ASD (n= 18) group. All selected tests for physical fitness, including body composition and GMF, have been used in previous studies. The results were as follows: first, with the exception of the basal metabolic rate, there were significant differences in the interaction of all other body composition variables. Second, there were significant differences in the interaction of almost all physical fitness variables, except for muscle strength. Finally, although there were significant differences in the interaction of all variables, except the locomotion skill for hopping, there were significant differences in the interaction of all variables of object control skill. Specifically, although the Δ% in the sum of locomotion skill in mild ASD group increased ~19.81%, that of severe ASD group decreased ~4.78%. The Δ% in the sum of object control skill in mild ASD group improved ~29.96%, while that of severe ASD group reduced ~15.2%. In conclusion, it is thought that these results are due to the better understanding of educational exercise and better performance of educational exercise in adults with mild ASD compared to adults with severe ASD.

Effects of physical activity and exercise-based interventions in young adults with autism spectrum disorder: A systematic review

“…Out of the 81 ES we calculated for PF-related outcomes, CI for 24 ES from 8 studies did not include 0 (see Table 5). We found medium-to-large ES for improvements in outcomes related to cardiopulmonary endurance (scores on the 3-min step test; Yu & Jee, 2020), muscular strength and endurance (performance on the chest press, lateral pull down, and leg press; Shields et al, 2019), and flexibility (performance on the sit and reach test; Haney et al, 2014) (see Table 5).…”

“…Of these, 17 ES (2 between-group, 15 within-group, ranging from 0.3 to 1.4) from 5 studies were statistically significant. Medium-to-large improvements were found in standardized tests such as the GMF (Yu & Jee, 2020), observational measures such as the Tinetti assessment scale (García-Villamisar et al, 2017), and on a soccer-specific skills assessment (Barak et al, 2019). To summarize, there is fair evidence from a small number of studies with low-to-high ROB for improvements in movement performance following PA interventions in young adults with ASD .…”

“…Only 4 of the 22 studies reviewed (i.e. ~18%) (Barwick et al, 2012; Cha et al, 2020; Todd et al, 2019; Yu & Jee, 2020), 2 of which were by the same research group (Cha et al, 2020; Yu & Jee, 2020), were restricted to purely the age group of our interest (Table 1). Specifically, Yu and colleagues assessed the effects of an educational play program involving games such as tug-of-war and chasing, as well as sport-specific training involving floorball, basketball, inline skating, and jumping activities on PF and GMF in young adults with ASD between 20 and 29 years.…”

“…Eight studies (two low, four intermediate, and two high ROB) provided aerobic and/or resistance training to participants. Aerobic activities included walking (Savage et al, 2022), running (Cha et al, 2020), calisthenics such as marching and jumping jacks (Yu & Jee, 2020) as well as training using exercise equipment such as stationary cycles, treadmills, and elliptical machines (Pitetti et al, 2007; Todd et al, 2019). Resistance training included body weight resistance exercises (Bested & Azar, 2021; Shields et al, 2019; Todd et al, 2019), free weights (Barwick et al, 2012), plyometric training (Hillier et al, 2011), and use of specialized exercise equipment (Elliott et al, 1994; Todd et al, 2019).…”

“…Specifically, Yu and colleagues assessed the effects of an educational play program involving games such as tug-of-war and chasing, as well as sport-specific training involving floorball, basketball, inline skating, and jumping activities on PF and GMF in young adults with ASD between 20 and 29 years. They found greater training-related improvements in GMF, cardiopulmonary and muscular endurance, flexibility, body weight, BMI, as well as muscle and fat mass in the mild ASD group compared to the severe ASD group, suggesting differential effects of exercise based on autism severity levels (Yu & Jee, 2020). In the second study by the same group, the authors only assessed group differences in GMF and fitness between young adults with ASD and ID following the educational play program.…”