Your Therapy Source Magazine for Pediatric Therapists September 2016 | Page 4

PLAYGROUND INTERVENTIONS TO HELP
YOUNG CHILDREN WITH AUTISM
Most children in the United States do not get enough physical activity per day including young
children with autism. When children do not get the recommended moderate to vigorous physical
activity (MVPA) per day they are at greater risk for obesity, high cholesterol, high blood
pressure, low bone density, asthma, and depression. Research indicates that children who are

physically active at school are more likely to engage in MVPA outside of school. Many young
children with autism qualify for preschool services, therefore the school can encourage increased
amounts of MVPA per day. Currently, the guidelines suggest that preschool students should have
access to both 60 min of structured physical activity and 60 min of unstructured physical activity
each day.
With regards to children with autism specifically, research indicates that this group of children
engages in less MVPA per day than their typical peers. When children with autism participate in
MVPA, it has been shown to decrease stereotypy and problem behaviors and increase academic
engagement.
Previous research suggests that preschool teachers can help increase MVPA per day by:
1. including teacher-led physical activities.
2. providing a large variety of portable materials.
3. encouraging participation in active play and physical activity.
Recently research was published in Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities to
determine if low- and high-effort teacher interventions result in increases in the (a) percent of
time spent appropriately engaged with peers or materials, (b) number of social interactions, (c)
percent of time spent in proximal play, and (d) percentage of time spent in MVPA. This was an
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