Making a New Year’s resolution to hit the gym? You may want to include your child with autism in the plan. A meta-analysis of research regarding individuals with autism and exercise programs by Dr. Michelle Sowa and Dr. Ruud Meulenbroek from the Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behavior at Radboud University Nijmegen in The Netherlands combined the data from 16 studies for some significant results.
A meta-analysis takes existing data from research publications to answer new research questions. This technique can provide more statistically significant results than each piece of research alone, partly due to the increase in sample size. In this study, Effects of Physical Exercise on Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Meta-Analysis, the researchers searched for studies from the past 10 years regarding autism and exercise. They chose 16 studies, for a total of 133 participants, to use in the meta-analysis.
The results showed an up to 35 percent improvement in core autism deficits (communication skills, social interaction, and motor performance) following participation in an exercise program. Exercise programs included jogging, swimming, horseback riding, cycling, weight training, and walking. Interestingly, individual exercise routines, i.e., those not completed in a group setting, led to the largest improvements in social interaction. Overall, participating in an exercise program increased skills in social interaction and motor performance but only had a small positive effect on communication.
Start the new year off by incorporating 30 minutes of walking (or another fitness activity your child likes) into your child’s daily routine. Past studies have shown that individuals with autism are more likely to be sedentary than the general population. While exercise provides obvious health benefits, the benefits for people with autism are even more significant.
References
Sowa, Michelle and Ruud Meulenbroek. (2012). Effects of physical exercise on Autism Spectrum Disorders: A meta-analysis. Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders, 6 (1), 46-57.
