Efficacy of 6-Month Adapted Aerobic Program on Motor Proficiency, BMI and Cognitive Abilities of Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder: Three Case Reports

Abstract

Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) face particular \ndifficulties that impact their opportunities \nto participate in regular physical activities. According to the recent \nliterature, exercise seems to have numerous benefits for students with ASD such \nas improvements in fundamental motor skills, balance and in physical fitness \ngenerally. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the efficacy of \n6-months adapted aerobic program on motor performance, Body Mass Index (BMI) \nand cognitive abilities in three adolescent boys with ASD. The study included \ntwo phases: baseline and post test. Motor performance of participants with ASD \nwas evaluated with the Movement Assessment Battery for Children-Second Edition \nand cognitive abilities were assessed with the Cognitive Assessment System. \nParticipants were administered also anthropometric measures (weight, height, \nwaist circumference). Results indicated that participation in the aerobic \nprogram can improve participants’ motor proficiency, body composition and \ncognitive abilities. Developing exercise intervention programs to improve motor \nproficiency, physical fitness and cognitive abilities of children and youth \nwith ASD should be a priority by the community in order to increase their \noverall health-related physical fitness.