Exercise improves the social and behavioral skills of children and adolescent with autism spectrum disorders

Chrystiane V A Toscano; José P Ferreira; Ricardo T Quinaud; Keity M N Silva; Humberto M Carvalho; Joana M Gaspar

doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2022.1027799

Exercise improves the social and behavioral skills of children and adolescent with autism spectrum disorders

Front Psychiatry. 2022 Dec 22:13:1027799. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2022.1027799. eCollection 2022.

Authors

Chrystiane V A Toscano¹, José P Ferreira², Ricardo T Quinaud³, Keity M N Silva⁴, Humberto M Carvalho³, Joana M Gaspar⁵

Affiliations

¹ Institute of Physical Education and Sport, Federal University of Alagoas, Maceió, Alagoas, Brazil.
² Faculty of Sport Sciences and Physical Education, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal.
³ Department of Physical Education, School of Sports, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, Santa Catarina, Brazil.
⁴ Physical Education Service, Unified Center for Integration and Development of Autism, Maceió, Alagoas, Brazil.
⁵ Graduate Program in Biochemistry, School of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, Santa Catarina, Brazil.

Abstract

Background: Currently, there is no standard treatment for Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), but there are many ways to minimize the symptoms and maximize abilities. Some studies suggest that exercise and other physical activities with children with ASD may be beneficial. In this study, we hypothesized that a physical exercise program (48-week exercise-intervention) could improve symptomatology dyad among children and adolescents with ASD. Our main aim was to examine the effects of physical activity on the primary clinical symptoms and associated comorbidities in children and adolescents with ASD.

Methods: We allocated 229 children with ASD, ranging in age from 2.3-17.3 years (M = 7.8, SD = 3.2), into three groups: (a) exercise- intervention group, (b) control group from the same institution, and (c) control group from another institution. The exercise program was performed at moderate intensity in a 30 min section twice a week for 48 weeks. We used Bayesian multilevel regression modeling to examine participant outcomes and responses to the exercise-intervention.

Results: Our results showed that a 48-week exercise-intervention substantially decreased ASD social interaction problems, attention deficit, emotional reactivity, stereotypical verbal and motor behavior, and sleep disturbances. However, physical exercise did not affect eye contact and food selectivity. We also observed that ASD severity and socioeconomic status influence eye contact, attention deficit, and sleep disturbance responses.

Conclusion: In conclusion, children and adolescents with ASD exposed to a 48-week physical exercise-intervention program had important improvements in ASD symptoms. This study highlights that structured exercise programs can be a powerful complementary therapy for the ASD population.

Keywords: Bayesian analysis; autism; interaction; physical activity; stereotypes.