Everyone knows that physical activity is important for good health. When you exercise regularly, you help your physical body - your muscles, heart and lungs - stay healthy and strong.
Not only physically, but also mentally, physical activity has positive effects. During physical exertion, the brain produces endorphins, which help with stress and depression. In general, you simply feel better when you are active!
For children with autism, physical activity can be especially important because, like sensory therapy, it can even help improve their autistic symptoms. And since children with autism often spend more time playing video games and watching TV than their peers, it's important to keep them active!
How physical activity helps with autistic symptoms
A meta-analysis examining 16 different studies found "clear benefits of physical exercise for patients' motor and social functions." To be more precise, they saw a 35% improvement in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) symptoms as a result of physical exercise. They noted that this was not because physical activity made the children tired, as their on-task behavior, academic response and appropriate motor behavior actually increased after the exercise. While there are many things you can do to alleviate your child's autistic symptoms, it turns out that physical activity is an important and relatively easy way to achieve positive results!
What are good physical exercises for autism?
The interesting thing to consider is that individual exercise programs seem to have a greater impact than group programs.
Individual exercises or in a group?
One study showed that children's social skills actually improved more in an individual program, where only the child and an adult leader were involved, compared to participating in a group. This does not mean that group exercises are not useful. The study simply showed that individual programs had more benefits for the children.
Individual exercises for autistic children Children
with autism often face challenges with sensory processing, motor skills and body awareness. Individual exercises can contribute to their development.
These exercises vary from jumping on a trampoline, swinging and balancing on a ball to using sensory stimulation materials. By collaborating with a specialist, these exercises can be adapted to the child's needs and interests.
A useful tool in this process is the body sock, an elastic fabric bag that provides deep pressure and compression. It calms the nervous system, promotes body awareness and stimulates sensory stimuli. These individual exercises, combined with appropriate tools such as the body sock, can offer significant benefits to the development and well-being of autistic children.
Intense or gentle exercises?
Another aspect that studies have looked at is whether the exercises should be intense or mild. It found that mild exercise did not show much improvement in autistic behavior in children, while intense exercise actually had a positive effect. The first study on mild versus intense exercise looked at the difference between 15 minutes of playing with a ball (mild) and 15 minutes of jogging (intense). It found that the mild exercise had no effect, while the intense exercise showed a reduction in stereotypical autistic behavior.
Regular physical exercises or digital physical exercises?
If physical exercises such as jogging and sports are not favorites for your child, there are still "movement games", where exercises are performed via video games. According to a new study, this has been shown to improve the sensory and cognitive attention of autistic children.
Fitness program for autism
So it turns out that jogging can be one of the best and easiest options for your child. Of course, if your child doesn't like jogging, you should let him try other things. Finally, the best exercise is the one your child loves and sticks to. It could be chasing a football, doing jumping jacks or even jumping on a trampoline.
In summary
If your child has autism, exercise has been shown to be beneficial. Make sure to get your child off the couch and involve them in some form of vigorous physical activity. If you are consistent, you will see big improvements in behavior! Want to read more? Also check our other blogs about autism or ADHD.