Creating a Fitness Program for an Autistic Child
Tips for Instituting a Dynamic and Diverse Exercise Regimen
Jul 21, 2009
A well-designed fitness program that takes into account the functioning levels, strengths and deficits of autistic children can offer them unique value. By adhering to a fitness program consistently, autistic children can be challenged to overcome their sensory deficits and cultivate an innate sense of discipline and self-esteem.
In spite of these benefits, designing a fitness program for an autistic child is still challenging. Autistic children who are unaccustomed to exerting themselves in physical exercises or trying new things may be highly resistant to any fitness program. Thus, before caregivers get started on this journey, it is important that they are able to manage the behavior of their children to a large extent.
With this foundation, caregivers can further increase the likelihood of success of the fitness program by considering the following guidelines.
Offer Variety
A fitness program should be characterized by variety in order to stimulate and sustain the interest of autistic children. Essentially, they should not be made to perform the same set of physical exercises on a daily basis.
Typically, professionals working with autistic children strive for mastery before moving onto new tasks. However, mastery is hard for autistic children to achieve immediately. Consequently, these professionals require the autistic children to repeat the same exercise routines on a daily basis, until they are able to perform them to the desired standard.
However, such a repetitive approach is highly counterproductive. Apart from engendering boredom and resentment, it also fails to acknowledge the fact that it would take time for them to strengthen their bodies before they can perform the exercises adequately.
Thus, it makes far more sense to expose them to various combinations of exercises that are repeated no more than once or twice a week. Over time, caregivers will discover that their autistic children will gradually master these exercises.
Select Appropriate Exercises
Autistic children, due to their diverse sensory deficits, often have difficulties with physical activities and sports that require coordination. Thus, in the beginning, it is important to identify physical activities that are sufficiently simple for them to perform.
One such physical activity is yoga that involves the holding of single poses and stretches. In her book, Yoga for the Special Child, Sonia Sumar highlights a series of yoga poses and stretches, which can be performed without too much difficulty for children with special needs.
Another option is conditioning training. Conditioning exercises that involve the performance of a repetitive set of motions to strengthen the body for physical activity are ideal. More importantly, they are extremely helpful in building the gross motor and fine motor strength of autistic children, thus paving the foundation for them to engage in physical activities.
Under the guidance of a fitness trainer whose role can be faded out, caregivers can introduce their autistic children to a variety of conditioning exercises with a few simple tools such as dumbbells and a medicine ball.
Modify and Evolve
An effective fitness program should evolve in accordance with the growing maturity and the progress of the autistic children. Thus caregivers should gradually expose their autistic children to new physical activities that require higher levels of complexity. Caregivers may realize that their autistic children now possess the strength and coordination to participate in sports that they were unable to do before.
By creating a fitness program that is characterized by a diversity of appropriate exercises, caregivers will increase their chances of success in initiating their autistic children into a world of fitness. The continous evolution of the program will further motivate them to engage in this healthy lifestyle for the long term.
