14 Feb Benefits of Exercise for Your Autistic Child
I still meet kids at my autism school almost 20 months after the first lockdown started that have not been out and about. The pandemic forced families to pull their children out of extra mural activities, sporting activities and even school. Tiny people that have had little to no child-to-child interaction and children that have not done a stitch of structured physical activity or exercise.
It is now more important than ever before to get your autistic child into a physical activity programme or an autism therapy centre, autism school or ASD academy that offers a holistic approach to autism intervention – and if you can’t get into a school, centre of programme then make sure you do daily exercises with your child at home.
BENEFITS OF EXERCISE FOR THE AUTISTIC CHILD
- It can help with anxiety in social situations or group settings
- Great tool for the development of social communication skills
- Can help with sleep disturbances
- General good health and physical well being
- Leads to drinking more water which aids in better gut health
- Aids in reducing depression in autistic individuals
- Can help build low-muscle tone and strengthen the child’s core body strength
- It is a defence against obesity which can be very common in autism spectrum disorder
- Concentration enhancement
- Some sport or exercise programs can help with Sensory Integration Challenges
- Hand-eye co-ordination skills is another benefit that comes from physical activity
- Easy and fun way to teach and master “crossing the midline’ skills
- Communication and speech development can be aided
- Teamwork, waiting out turn, sharing skills are all skills used on the sport field and sadly skills that many autistic children struggle with.
And lastly, physical activities that children with autism participate in can help them build their self-confidence, their self-worth – so let’s get out there and get our kids moving!
