Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder Exhibit Elevated Physical Activity and Reduced Sedentary Behavior

Abstract

According to previous research, individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have lower levels of physical activity than their typically developed (TD) counterparts. There have been conflicting reports about physical activity (PA) levels in people with ASD. Given the conflicting evidence, further investigation is required. We believe that evaluating PA in individuals with ASD is critical in order to offer PA intervention plans aiming at increasing their health-related physical fitness on a daily, systematic, and individualized basis. In the current study, an ActiGraph monitor (GT3X+) was used to accurately measure PA and sedentary activity in 21 children with autism aged 6.43 ± 2.29 years and 30 TD children aged 7.2 ± 3.14 years. Our data indicated that while the light and moderate activity counts were not significantly different between the two groups, the vigorous activity was significantly higher in ASD compared to TD. This finding was attributed to ASD characteristic stereotypy and self-stimulating behaviors. The significantly higher vigorous PA is discussed in relation to altered neurochemistry, oxidative stress, and neuroinflammation as etiological mechanisms in ASD. This research provides a better understanding of the status of PA participation in individuals with ASD.

Immediate effect of physical activity on the autonomic nervous system in individuals with autism spectrum disorders of different age groups: a randomised trial

“…23 44 Children with ASD have less SpO 2 than TD children, thus their ability to continue physical activity for a long time will be less in comparison to TD children. 25 Ando et al came to the same results of this study. 45 They investigated the effect of moderate-intensity physical activity (to 60% of peak oxygen uptake) on SpO 2 .…”

“…During physical activity, the working muscles need more oxygen to continue working and avoid the accumulation of lactic acid and the development of fatigue 23 44. Children with ASD have less SpO 2 than TD children, thus their ability to continue physical activity for a long time will be less in comparison to TD children 25…”

“…Then, they were scanned for the inclusion and exclusion criteria. The inclusion criteria included (a) having a specialised medical diagnosis of ASD done by each case following physician, (b) having no recent history of participation in physical activity or physical activity programmes, (c) having an initial medical check-up to determine fitness and safety to participate in study’s physical activity programme and (d) having a mild severity (scores between 30 and 36.5) ASD assessed using the Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS) 24 25. The exclusion criteria included (a) having any intellectual disability (IQ≤70) assessed by the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Fourth Edition26 according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-Fourth Edition and International Classification of Diseases 10th Revision criteria, (b) having any comorbid medical or psychiatric disorders, pervasive developmental disorders or attention-deficit hyperactivity disorders, (c) taking any medications that affect the cardiovascular system, respiratory system, arousal and balance like antidepressants, beta-adrenergic drugs, antiepilepsy drugs, etc and (d) having any contraindications to physical activity like fracture, dislocations, severe seizures, etc 24 25…”