AUTISM AND FITNESS
BREAKING DOWN BARRIERS
It’s imperative that we
encourage people on the
autism spectrum to participate
in fitness and sporting
activities, writes PT Amy
Webster.
40 | NETWORK SPRING 2018
t is widely recognised that taking
part in physical activity not only
helps to keeps us fit and well, it
can increase self-esteem, develop social
skills and improve mental health and general
wellbeing.
However, research shows that people
with autism are less likely than others to
participate in sport or physical activity
due to factors related to the condition,
including heightened fear and anxiety in
social situations, difficulty understanding
body language and metaphor, and sensory
challenges.
In my former role as coordinator of the
National Autistic Society’s (NAS) Active for
I
Autism project in the UK, I worked to ensure
that children, young people and adults on
the autism spectrum could be fully included
in sport and physical activity at school and
in the community, and I bring that passion
for increasing autism understanding and
inclusion to my work as a PT here in Australia.
If someone on the autism spectrum
responds negatively to a sporting or
physical activity it can be perceived as a
behavioural issue when this isn’t necessarily
the case. Rather, it may be a reaction to
coping with a sensory sensitivity, a coach
who is not communicating in a way that they
understand, or something else that takes
them out of their comfort zone.