Benefits of physical activity for children with autism

Abstract

Physical activity has a positive benefit on the quality and lifestyle of people, which means that its practice and influence on individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder may be essential. The aim of the study was to optimize the relationship between them and the rest of the people with the same age at school, daily life and family and to reduce some of the typical repetitive behaviours of this disorder. We used a case study with a structured observation, the questionnaire was giving over a period of 5 months, from September 2016 to February 2017, to six subjects. The selected sample was school children aged 8 to 17 years old diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder. The students show evident physical and psychologist progress, but unequal due to the big cognitive differences; not all of them reach social advances. Physical exercise seems to improve the individual's body and social skills, although this conclusion should be confirmed with researches with a higher number of individuals and a longer follow-up.