Teaching Movement

When teaching new movement skills and/or exercises to neurotypically developing children, the essential movement patterns can be developed using a variety of games and activities. The skills that were once learned, ingrained, and mastered on the playground are no longer present in the vast majority of our nation’s youth, and it is the responsibility of physical educators, parents, and other professionals to ensure that children learn how to move. Still, in the case of normally developing children, the essential movement patterns are relatively easy to teach and fun for both practitioner and participant when taught in a reinforcing environment. The difference between teaching exercise to neurotypical children and those with ASD involves two main factors.

Factor one involves the physiological and motor deficits that many children on the spectrum experience.  A stack of research has demonstrated that individuals with autism have greater motor impairments than normally developing peers. These issues may be related to gait, strength, kinesthetic, or body awareness, and general motor planning. Physiological deficits will often lead to inhibited or distorted movement, meaning that even if an individual wants to perform an action (running, for example) they may not be able to complete the activity or will do so with poor form. It is crucial to consider that just because a child is performing an action; it does not mean that the movement is being performed optimally.  Suppose I am asked to add 7 + 7 and my answer is 18. I have performed the math equation, but I have not satisfied it correctly.

The second factor in the difference between exercise for neurotypical versus ASD individuals is aversion to movement. Many children on the spectrum exhibit defensiveness and a lack of motivation to engage in novel behaviors, including movement and exercise. As spontaneous and imaginative play are often absent during early years of development, the exploration of new movements is generally a skill that must be taught. Additionally, motivation and reinforcement become far more pressing issues with the autism population than with neurotpyical peers.

Given these two concepts, physical deficits and psychological/emotional aversion to movement, it is imperative that exercise programs are designed with movements taught in an incremental fashion.  I have taught pushups to my athletes on the autism spectrum, just as I would employ the exercise with a typically developing child. The difference, however, is using a systematic approach that teaches the exercise step-by-step using, in ABA terminology, a Task Analysis. To use the pushup example, my first step is having the athlete lie prone on the floor. The second step is placing the hands at the sides of the chest, third step is pushing the body off the floor, and the fourth to lower the body back down. If an individual requires additional steps, such as beginning by only pressing halfway up, no problem. The Task Analysis allows for individual needs.

Aversion to movement requires parents and fitness professionals to use highly salient motivational and reinforcement systems so that exercise becomes a preferred activity.  Token boards (to earn a reinforcer), verbal praise, and music during exercise can all aid in the pairing process. Establishing a joy of movement is typically not a short or simple procedure with respect to the autism population. Nonetheless, it is a crucial aspect of optimal development requiring persistence, ingenuity, understanding, and dedication. The eventual outcome is worth the effort.

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