Parents’ perceptions and concerns about physical activity participation among adolescents with autism spectrum disorder

Abstract

The parents of adolescents with autism spectrum disorder have a vital and proactive role in encouraging healthy physical activity habits, and they possess important knowledge about the adolescents’ needs when it comes to enhancing participation in physical activity. But promoting healthy physical activity habits in adolescents can be difficult. The purpose of this study was thus to describe parents’ perceptions of their adolescent child’s participation in physical activity and to describe the parental role in promoting such participation. Twenty-eight parents of adolescents aged 12–16 years with autism spectrum disorder were interviewed. The interviews were analyzed using an inductive content analysis approach. The parents described how challenging participation in physical activities could be for their adolescents. Despite this, they wanted to see their children participate more in physical activity but found the promotion of physical activity to be an overwhelming task that was difficult to cope with on their own. The results reveal a need for support and collaborative efforts among different actors to give these issues increased priority in order to promote the adolescents’ physical activity participation. Lay abstract What is already known about the topic? The parents of adolescents with autism spectrum disorder have a vital and proactive role in encouraging healthy physical activity habits. But promoting healthy physical activity habits in adolescents can be difficult. The purpose of this study was thus to describe the parental perceptions of their adolescent child’s participation in physical activity and to describe the parental role in promoting such participation. Twenty-eight parents of adolescents aged 12–16 years with autism spectrum disorder were interviewed. What this paper adds? The parents described how challenging participation in physical activities could be for their adolescents. Despite this, they wanted to see their children participate more in physical activity but found the promotion of physical activity to be an overwhelming task that was difficult to cope with on their own. Implications for practice, research, or policy. The results reveal a need for support and collaborative efforts among different actors to give these issues increased priority in order to promote the adolescents’ physical activity participation.

“Physical activity is beneficial to anyone, including those with ASD”: Antecedents of nurses recommending physical activity for people with autism spectrum disorder

“…These findings suggest that nurses weigh the tradeoffs between benefits and barriers when suggesting physical activity to people with ASD. These findings are consistent with research from Arnell et al (2020) where parents of teens with ASD noted the many benefits of physical activity but found that promoting such behaviors was “an overwhelming task,” given personal and social barriers in place. Thus, it is important for researchers and policy makers to take into account both benefits and barriers, as well as their interaction, when considering physical activity promotion.…”

A Systematic Review on the Impact of the Social Confinement on People with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Their Caregivers during the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…Regarding the aforementioned first group of studies, we included the ones revised that studied the relationship between physical activity and emotional well-being in the general population (e.g., [ 87 ]) and in ASD participants (e.g., [ 88 ]). In general terms, they found that the effects of confinement have led to a decrease in physical activities in ASD participants and caused an increase in the amount screens hours exposure.…”

Physical activity and screen time among youth with autism: A longitudinal analysis from 9 to 18 years

“…These factors may be compounded among children with ASD due to their unique social and communication behaviors associated with ASD (Corvey et al, 2016). This speculation is supported by research in which children with ASD and their parents reported a host of social barriers to PA, including stress that arise from social interaction (Arnell et al, 2020), being victims of bullying in PA settings, being excluded from activities by peers or practitioners (e.g. physical education teachers) (Blagrave & Colombo-Dougovito, 2019;Healy et al, 2013;Must et al, 2015), and having difficulty initiating social interactions (Obrusnikova & Miccinello, 2012).…”