By Eric Chessen, M.S.

I have this magnet on my car that advertises my company, Beyond Boundaries Fitness. The magnet reads “Fitness Builds Futures.” I think about that statement a lot. I do not have it on there because it is a good marketing gimmick. I do not have it on there because it is catchy, which it is. I have that statement on the magnet primarily because it is true, and the more I work with children and young adults on the autism spectrum the more it is evident that fitness and exercise are the gateways to greater achievement and optimization in life.

A Brief History of Youth Fitness

Several decades ago in the U.S. we had a thriving physical culture. People, in general, were more active, ate wholesome foods (and ate less), and engaged in more physical tasks as part of daily life. This was not just relegated to farms in the Midwest but across the country. Two key cultural happenings transformed fitness and physical culture. Issue one was the technological advancement of our society which, while important for myriad reasons (including the creation of this magazine and getting those car magnets made) also introduced a more sedentary, immediate gratification culture.

The second issue is the deviation of physical education in schools from a general fitness curriculum to a sports-based agenda. Sports are fantastic for developing self-esteem, teamwork, motivation, and altruistic socialization (unless you happened to be on my high school baseball team where none of this happened).  Playing sports, however, requires basic foundational movement skills that are developed through play (as in the ancient arts of the playground and recess) and through guided physical education. If you consider physical fitness as a pyramid, foundational movement skills would form the base. Up at the very tip of the pyramid would be sports-specific skills. Sports, again, are valuable, but the movement patterns in them are highly specific to that particular activity. They do not generalize well to other life skills (taking out the garbage, lifting a heavy box, or walking up stairs). Furthermore, and with particular consideration for the young autism population, sports may not provide immediate motivation or be developmentally appropriate.

Physical Fitness and Autism

Focusing on long-term development strategies for children with ASD provides a variety of pivotal questions. What will the individual’s life look like 10 or 20 years from today? What skills will they need? What social network will they have? How will they maintain the most meaningful and healthy existence? Physical fitness, the ability to perform daily life skills and recreational pursuits in the safest, most efficient manner possible is a necessary component of meeting long-term objectives. This may read as classic jargon. An example is clearly needed.

“Justin” was one of my clients years ago. Justin was 8 years old, with high functioning autism, a respectable list of gross motor issues, a bright smile, and occasional off-task behavior. Several weeks after working with Justin his mother reported that he had jumped for the first time, in front of his whole class, and was rather proud of himself. Almost immediately Justin gains self-esteem, kinesthetic/body awareness, self-efficacy, and motivation. There are few endeavors that offer such a wide range of positive attributes as fitness and exercise. Yes, many children with autism find movement aversive.

One interesting aspect of Autism Spectrum Disorder is a high prevalence of gross motor deficits/dysfunction among the younger population when compared with neurotypical or normally developing peers1,2,3,4. One study suggests gross motor deficits should be part of the ASD diagnosis, but are not due to a lack of consensus on the definition of “gross motor deficits”5. Essentially, as nobody ever bothered to put together a comprehensive definition, it was left out of the criteria for diagnosis.

Pivotal points at this point:
-    Gross motor deficits are common among young individuals with autism spectrum disorder
-    Fitness and exercise differ from sports in their generalization or carryover to daily life activities and challenges
-    Fitness is a gateway towards self-esteem, self-efficacy, socialization, and independence along with general health and well-being
-    Exercise and movement can be aversive (non-preferred) for many children on the spectrum

We have the important concept of exercise for the autism population. But implementing fitness programs for individuals and groups of children can be a challenge for the reasons already mentioned and many other factors. Breaking down complex movements into simpler steps is a way to guide a learner to successful independent mastery of the skill. Movements can be broken down into five basic patterns:

-Pushing
-Pulling
-Rotation
-Level Change (squatting)
-Locomotion (crawling, walking, hopping, skipping, sprinting, running in all directions)

The key to successfully developing and integrating fitness programs for the ASD population is in breaking down each skill so that it may be acquired at the pace of the learner, and pairing the activity with highly reinforcing stimuli such as verbal praise, access to a favorite toy or a preferred activity. Through combining exercise with already existing preferred activities/objects, movement may begin to become reinforcing on its own. This, of course, may take some time. Remember, exercise is something we do. Fitness is something we live.

References
1.    Provost Beth, Lopez Brian R., Heimerl Sandra. A Comparison of Motor Delays in Young Children: Autism Spectrum Disorder, Developmental Delay, and Developmental Concerns. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders. 2007; 37: 321-328.
2.    Freitag Christine M., Kleser Christina, Schneider Marc, von Gontard Alexander. Quantitative Assessment of Neuromotor Function in Adolescents with High Functioning Autism and Asperger Syndrome. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders. 2007; 37:948-959.
3.    Hillman Charles H., Castelli, Darla M., Buck, Sarah M. Aerobic Fitness and Neurocognitive Function in Healthy Preadolescent Children. Medicine and Science in Sport and Exercise. 2005; 37(11):1967-1974.
4.    McDuffie Andrea, Turner Lauren, Stone Wendy, Yoder Paul, Wolery Mark, Ulman Teresa. Developmental Correlates of Different Types of Motor Imitation in Young Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders. 2007; 37:401-412.
5.    Rinehart Nicole J., Bellgrove Mark A., Tonge Bruce J., Bereton Avril V., Howells-Rankin Debra, Bradshaw John L. An Examination of Movement Kinematics in Young People with High-Functioning Autism and Asperger’s Disorder: Further Evidence for a Motor Planning Deficit. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders. 2006; 36: 757-767.

Eric Chessen, M.S., YCS I, is the Founder of Beyond Boundaries Fitness for the Young ASD population. He is the creator of the BBFit DVD series and consults/lectures nationally. More information can be found at www.AUTISMFITNESS.com or his blog  www.ERICCHESSEN.com