In a recent study in the Autism Journal, authors published a research review on the literature concerning the behavioural outcomes of exercise interventions for persons with ASD who were younger than 16.
The authors found that interventions such as jogging, horse riding, martial arts, swimming and yoga/dance can result in improvements across a range of areas. These include reduction of stereotypical behaviours, improvement in socio-emotional function, cognition and attention. They found that horse riding and martial arts produced the greatest improvements.
Whilst the authors go on to recommend further research with well controlled and designed studies and larger sample sizes, the results from this study provide a lot of encouragement. Movement is good for kids with ASD!!
There are some fantastic options for structured after school activities which are inclusive and welcoming for kids with ASD, and as is evident in the study cited above, tapping into these can lead to fantastic outcomes.
However, I believe we also need to look at informal, unstructured activity levels as being significantly important, for a number of reasons. Firstly, structured activities are often very expensive and out of reach for many families. And speaking from experience, rushing from activity to activity can be hugely stressful on parents and kids alike. Also, trying to bring some unstructured, incidental activity back into our lives can be more sustainable than simply rushing from activity to activity because it becomes part of our lifestyle. Structured activities certainly have their place, and have many benefits such as allowing opportunities for socialization, and developing skills such as following rules, as well as growth in more specific movement patterns. So maybe the ideal is to aim for a balance between the 2.
When we examine lifestyles for young people and families, ASD and neurotypical alike, from 20 years ago as opposed to today, movement in both variety and volume is dramatically less. The average block size in Adelaide is currently 375m2, and many homes with yards do not have backyard play equipment. Kids no longer wander down to the local park with their mates, or play backyard cricket. And to get kids to WANT to go outside is often a battle, with social media, TV/DVD and other gaming options being much more appealing.
So let's get our creative juices flowing and come up with some ideas for increased movement, without relying completely on structured activities. Some of these may or may not work for your family, so don't feel obliged to try anything that you don't think will work. And please don't think I'm an expert, I often find my frustration levels rising dramatically at the perceived "sedentary meter" which seems to be rising as my kids grow older.
So here we go:
Stay tuned, and be encouraged!!
The authors found that interventions such as jogging, horse riding, martial arts, swimming and yoga/dance can result in improvements across a range of areas. These include reduction of stereotypical behaviours, improvement in socio-emotional function, cognition and attention. They found that horse riding and martial arts produced the greatest improvements.
Whilst the authors go on to recommend further research with well controlled and designed studies and larger sample sizes, the results from this study provide a lot of encouragement. Movement is good for kids with ASD!!
There are some fantastic options for structured after school activities which are inclusive and welcoming for kids with ASD, and as is evident in the study cited above, tapping into these can lead to fantastic outcomes.
However, I believe we also need to look at informal, unstructured activity levels as being significantly important, for a number of reasons. Firstly, structured activities are often very expensive and out of reach for many families. And speaking from experience, rushing from activity to activity can be hugely stressful on parents and kids alike. Also, trying to bring some unstructured, incidental activity back into our lives can be more sustainable than simply rushing from activity to activity because it becomes part of our lifestyle. Structured activities certainly have their place, and have many benefits such as allowing opportunities for socialization, and developing skills such as following rules, as well as growth in more specific movement patterns. So maybe the ideal is to aim for a balance between the 2.
When we examine lifestyles for young people and families, ASD and neurotypical alike, from 20 years ago as opposed to today, movement in both variety and volume is dramatically less. The average block size in Adelaide is currently 375m2, and many homes with yards do not have backyard play equipment. Kids no longer wander down to the local park with their mates, or play backyard cricket. And to get kids to WANT to go outside is often a battle, with social media, TV/DVD and other gaming options being much more appealing.
So let's get our creative juices flowing and come up with some ideas for increased movement, without relying completely on structured activities. Some of these may or may not work for your family, so don't feel obliged to try anything that you don't think will work. And please don't think I'm an expert, I often find my frustration levels rising dramatically at the perceived "sedentary meter" which seems to be rising as my kids grow older.
So here we go:
- Put on some music and start grooving to get your heart rate up and your body moving! For my kids who do like gaming, they have really started to enjoy Wii Just Dance as a fantastic workout tool.
- Walk to the shops or library, instead of driving everywhere.
- When the kids were younger, we made a quick stop off at the playground after school a part of our daily routine, weather permitting. It didn't have to be a huge amount of time, 20 minutes or so, but it made a huge difference. And doing so on the way home meant that it was "done and dusted", and we didn't need to make another trip out in the car.
- If it's hard to shift your kids away from a screen, do some short bursts of exercise in the commercial breaks. You can easily belt out some squats, push ups and jogging on the spot during these short breaks. If your kids are gaming instead, try setting a timer to get the same result.
- A picnic in the park can be a wonderful family activity that involves a bit of walking.
- Apart from being a great workout, walking in National Parks is also hugely calming. http://www.mamamia.com.au/benefits-of-walking-in-nature/.
Stay tuned, and be encouraged!!