Physical health is critical to our overall well-being. Researchers
have studied, and now understand, the connection of physical
movement to growth, development, behavior, and learning. They
have also learned of the disabilities that go along with each
of these areas. Appropriate physical activity improves the
ability to learn, and the lack of movement limits your ability
to learn.
Physical fitness also regulates the body's neurotransmitters
and hormones that support the learning of lessons, at the
same time it decreases the need for chemical substances used
for things such as attention disorders, depression, and panic
disorders (Wise & Mears, 2004). Adapting physical education
activities makes it possible for children with disabilities,
including autism, to enjoy physical, social, and emotional
benefits that participation brings to everyone.
Autism
is one of a few very complex neurobiological and developmental
disorders known as Pervasive
Developmental Disorder. An average of 1 in 110 kids are
diagnosed with Autism.
Autism
is now more prevalent than childhood cancer, juvenile diabetes,
and prenatal AIDS combined. According to that statistic millions
of people throughout the world have Autism
and it is on the rise (Autism Speaks, 2005). This means that
with more and more children being diagnosed, we must spread
awareness of how important activity will be for every child.
It is important to spread the idea of adapting activities
to help children with their set-backs and to function at higher
levels.
Autism is more common in males than females, and some believe
that may be a key to understanding what causes it. But because
there are various intensities of the disorder there are probably
many different factors involved. In 1943
Leo Kanner, a psychiatrist, was one of the first to describe
autism as its own distinctive condition, but he attributed
the symptoms to unloving mothers. Not until the 70's did Dr.
Bernard Rimland help the medical community understand
that it was not cold parenting but a biological disorder that
causes this condition, knowing first hand having an autistic
son himself (Autism Speaks, 2005).
Autism is usually diagnosed in childhood. One of the characteristics
is an impaired ability to communicate and relate to others
in social settings. Other characteristics are engaging in
a restricted range of activities and repetitive behaviors.
As mentioned before, this disorder is mostly idiopathic
and can't be prevented, but behavioral intervention therapies
will assist in improving abilities of these children (Autism
Speaks, 2005). These therapies focus on communication, social,
and cognitive skills, but now people are using physical exercise
as another form of intervention. We will look at how children's
autistic characteristics are changed and improved by jogging,
swimming, horse back riding and dancing.
In the U.S. children with autism tend to be more overweight
than children without the disorder, and this is usually due
to being more inactive. It's harder to get a child with a
disability to engage in sports or exercise. These children
suffer from limited motor skills, low motivation, and difficulty
with planning and self-monitoring. Doctor
John O'Connor says, "People with autism experience
levels of sensory perception that most of us wouldn't know
or understand (O’Connor, 2006)." A fast pace basketball
game with screaming fans, the player's squeaky shoes, and
the buzzer and the referee whistles might be too overwhelming
for such a child.
In one study of aerobic exercise, children were asked to
jog on a treadmill for twenty minutes. Not only did the speed
increase, but so did the frequency and duration of the children
mildly jogging. The study also revealed a decrease in self-stimulating
or self-soothing behaviors like body rocking, spinning, head
nodding, hand flapping, or object tapping. These are all behaviors
that interfere with social interaction and learning, but the
theory behind the strict routine of the study and the repetitive
nature of running either distracted or replaced their self-stimulating
actions (Autism Speaks, 2005).
Another study that showed improvement, of not only physical
exercise skills but also social skills, is a study done by
Chein-Yu
Pan (2010) in Taiwan. Pan had sixteen boys, of different
levels of disability, evaluated and then split up equally
into two groups who were then introduced to a water exercise
swimming program (WESP). The boys were all involved in school,
and some were involved in other physical activities but were
still assessed as having limited breathing, floating, and
stroke skills.
Each group completed a ten week course consisting of twenty
sessions, each ninety minutes long. Within each session there
were different categories, and each had different goals such
as social interaction, motor skill development, and swimming
skills. At the end of the study, results showed that both
groups had a higher academic behavior score and a lower score
for hostile, antisocial, defiant behavior. Self-stimulating
behavior (like in the jogging/treadmill study) was also observed
as decreased. Pan believed that this could be caused by the
repetition of the swimming techniques, but children with autism
also benefit from witnessing positive interaction of others.
Tasks that encouraged interaction were purposely implemented,
such as group games, sharing instructors, and reinforcement
to seek assistance from one another. Pan believed that the
decrease in antisocial behavior was also due to positive feedback
that was provided throughout the study. Instructors were patient
and courteous, and respect was given to everyone. An explanation
and demonstration was provided until all the children understood
the tasks.
Pan also noted responses from parents of each child. Parents
said that the children were more self-confident, they wanted
to participate in more activities previously avoided, and
many of them wanted to continue swimming and expand their
social circles (Pan, 2010). This study provided empirical
data proving that children can increase their physical and
social abilities along with stopping behaviors that may hinder
their learning.
Another activity used to see how it effected children with
autism was horseback riding. The Kaohsiung
Medical Universityconducted
this study in 2007. There were two groups of thirty children,
both female and male under the age of ten, that participated
in a one hour study twice a week for twenty weeks. The study
emphasized motor control, and the various activities followed
a development sequence of sensorimotor
functions. A few of these functions were 1) bilateral control,
2) reach, grasp and release, 3) static and dynamic balance,
4) motor planning and many other specific skills.
The hour consisted of three sessions, the first being simple
limb movements for increased flexibility and motivation in
learning. The second session was instruction in how to ride
the horse in various positions to experience the horses movement.
This was intended to enhance the child's awareness of their
own bodies, sensitivity, and coordination. In the third session
the instructor would play a game with the child on the horse,
which strengthened sensory integrative, cognitive, and affective
skills, and also helped develop interpersonal relations and
self-directed behaviors.
The results showed that all though not all areas of fine
motor skills improved significantly there were still increases
in gross motor control. In certain areas such as visual motor
control, upper limb speed and dexterity, and upper limb coordination,
there was a significant change. The instructors attribute
these positive results to their series of steps that were
goal-oriented, structured, and all related. The child would
gain confidence in the movement, and the instructors would
continue to add more movement as confidence increased - encouraging
the child to rely on body feedback to understand their movements,
anticipate future events, and plan alternatives. Controlling
the trunk, and shifting body weight accordingly, improves
walking and running abilities (Wuang, Wang, Huang, and Su,
2007).
This was a thorough study that proved that even a seemingly
simple task of riding a horse allows learning of important
functions of our body that are necessary for daily life. Both
of these studies had a control group, meaning one of the groups
had a break from each of their sessions before they performed
again. This reassures that this is not short term gains, and
if these were continued that abilites would increase.
Jodi
Dipiazza was an autistic child who wanted to take dance
classes, but because of her trouble with directions and being
easily distracted she was often upset, dance teachers refused
to allow her in their class. Jodi’s parents approached
a local dance studio owner who decided to open a new class
for autistic students. Annette
Romano-Merlini, the owner of Dance
Dimensions, has been teaching this class for four years
now, and she's learned the importance of repetition. She's
learned to avoid changes in time, location, and structure
of the class and to introduce new dances slowly. Annette also
discovered that she must modify the way she explains things,
such as "’Fly around the room like a butterfly"
does not provide the same understanding as "Run on your
tippy toes and wave your arms up and down." Dance allows
children to gain motor control, coordination, body and spatial
awareness, strength, flexibility, ability to follow directions,
and discipline (Hohn, 2009).
Everyone needs exercise to maintain their health, and it
is very important to be able to adapt equipment and sports
to accommodate all the differences in people. Children with
autism can still lead normal lives and become great athletes
or professionals. They just need the tools and support to
be taught in a way they can understand. Many children with
autism have benefited from different sports and activities,
but we must spread the knowledge and importance of adapting
exercise, not only for children with autism but for all disabilities,
so that we can ensure good quality of life for all our children.
References
Wise, E., Mears,
B. (2004). Adapted physical education and therapeutic recreation
in Schools. Intervention
in School and Clinic. 39, 223-224.
BIO:
My name is Chelsea Skawinski. I am a senior
Health Education and Behavior major at the University of Florida.
I am working toward nursing school and working in Pediatrics.
I would love to work with the beautiful children with developmental
delays. My dearest cousin has autism and for so long no one
knew how to diagnose him, but my family loved our special
blessing no matter what. My cousin, Tyler, was the inspiration
for this paper. I was hoping to encourage families like mine.
We have been blessed with a forever-innocent child that we
must love and keep healthy.
BIO:
Chrstine Stopka: For a complete biography for Chrstine Stopka,
please visit her personal biography page at the Univesity
of Florida. http://hhp.ufl.edu/dir/links/stopkaC.php
