Moving and Improving: Investigating Programming and Familial Influences on Physical Activity for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

The primary characteristics of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) fall into three broad categories: communication problems, difficulty relating to people, things and events, and repetitive body movements and behaviours (American Psychiatric Association, 2014). Unfortunately, potential barriers for children and youth (5–17 years old) with ASD achieving the recommended 60 minutes of physical activity (Canadian Society of Exercise Physiology, 2012) may be due to characteristics of the condition and/or the lack of specific guidelines for this population. The purpose of the current study was to explore the influence families and physical activity programming has on the physical activity patterns of children with ASD. The perspectives from both family members of children with ASD, and from instructors of physical activity programs for children with ASD were obtained. The participants completed questionnaires and participated in semi-structured one-on-one interviews. Two themes emerged from the data describing physical activity for children with ASD (1) physical activity, regardless of ability, and (2) the nature of ASD: programming and family challenges. Given the rich data collected, this paper will focus solely on the second theme. Two subthemes developed: “So how do we modify that activity”, and “It can be fantastic and then it can just be like a total nightmare”. Overall, this research indicated unique challenges for physical activity participation for children with ASD and provided suggestions on improvements to physical activity programming. Considering various challenges to physical activity for this population, physical activity instructors play a vital role in delivering effective programs for children with ASD.