Every weekday your child goes to school, for 5-7 hours a day, where they are sitting much of the day. They come home, sitting on a bus or van, have dinner sitting and most likely spend some time sitting to watch tv, play video games or engage in some other screen-based activity. Account their time sleeping, and the bulk of their day is spent sedentary. And if your child has autism they are likely spending an additional 70 minutes sitting each day, according to an Oregon State University study (1).
How is all this sitting impacting children’s lives?
For starters prolonged periods of sitting can lead to…
- reduced vascular function (2)
- increased chances of cancer (3)
- increased chances of type 2 diabetes (3)
- increased chances of cardiovascular disease (3)
- increased chances of back pain (3)
- increased chances of neck pain (3)
- increased chances of obesity (4)
- increased chances of shortened lifespan (3)
In addition to these risks, recent research suggests that too much sitting may be affecting mental health as well (4). Each year 6.4 million children and adolescents, from ages 6-17 are diagnosed with ADHD, with many referrals coming from teachers (5). Instead of incorporating more movement into children’s school days, many are seeking prescription medication.
Subjecting children and adolescents to the potential risks of too much sitting seems ludicrous, but the majority of parents unknowingly do this every day. With much of the school day structured, parents can only push and hope their teachers incorporate movement breaks, outings or periods of standing in their classroom. But, outside of school it is up to you as parents and up to your children to be more active!
Why are children & adolescents with autism spending so much time sitting?
Working in schools and in homes with children with autism for the past decade, I have observed a common theme, prolonged periods of sedentary behavior. Rather than pointing fingers at teachers or parents, it is important that we step back and understand the problem.
Whether your child is in an inclusion setting or special education classroom, it is likely they spending a large percentage of their school day sedentary. That leaves the time before and after school, on weekends and vacations to be more active. Unfortunately, children with autism do not always have the same access to active leisure. It can be more difficult for children with autism to build friendships or participate in sports. This often leads to more solitary hobbies like video games and screen time.
As parents you have a number of responsibilities at home in addition to caring for your family. Having your child occupied by a video game, tablet or television enables you to get these things accomplished. As understandable as it is, this extra time spent sitting contributes to their sedentary lifestyle.
How do we break out of this vicious cycle of sedentary lifestyles?
There are a number of small changes that can be made to increase the amount of activity your child with autism is engaging in. These changes collectively can positively impact their lives throughout childhood and into adulthood.
Be sure your school has a structured adaptive physical education program. No child should be subjected to a lesser gym program because of their ability. It is called physical EDUCATION for a reason. The program should aim to educate children how to be more active, teach physical activities, as well as sports and games.
In the classroom teachers should be incorporating movement breaks, short 3-5 minutes movement-based activities, to break up prolonged periods of sitting. These can be as simple as a quick walk through the hall or more sophisticated routines of stretching and aerobic exercise.
At home parents can…
- Limit screen time.
- Engage in active play with your child.
- Encourage outside play.
- Enroll your child in unified sports.
- Enroll your child in an exercise program.
- Have you child help out in household chores.
- Go for walks with your child.
- Find active family leisure activities (i.e. riding bikes, hiking, etc.)
- Educate them on the importance of activity.
- Lead an active life by example.
Your child’s health and happiness are what matters most. Breaking the vicious cycle of a sedentary lifestyle will lead to both health and happiness, however daunting a task it may seem. Start small, not all of these changes should be made overnight. Cumulatively the changes you make to your child’s lifestyle now can lead to a more active lifestyle in adulthood.
Adaptive Exercise is doing its part to be part of the solution to sedentary behavior in people with autism. Our exercise autism therapy is designed to teach children, teens and adults with special needs how to exercise safely and effectively. We call it exercise autism therapy, because by engaging in regular exercise individuals experience benefits similar to other forms of autism therapy. And of course, there are the added benefits of improving physical and mental health.
We understand that taking steps to increase physical activity can be challenging. Adaptive Exercise’s autism therapy takes these challenges into consideration when formulating each individuals programming. Some people with special needs may need more support or just learn differently and that’s ok. Regardless of an individual’s ability or prior history with exercise, we work to teach them effective exercise techniques. Providing people with special needs the opportunity to access the same health benefits of fitness as everyone else. Sitting and sedentary behavior are problems that are impacting the nation as a whole. However, this problem seems to be magnified within the autism population. This is most alarming because there are so few personal trainers and fitness educators skilled in working with people with special needs. Without an adequate solution to this crisis, how can we expect these people to miraculously become more physically active and involved in fitness. Our exercise autism therapy is a step in the right direction, but parents and educators must play a role as well. Let’s pledge to start supporting this population and reduce sedentary behavior.
- https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/09/140926141014.htm
- https://www.healthworldeducation.org/post/are-students-sitting-too-long-the-benefits-of-intermittent-activity
- https://www.startstanding.org/sitting-new-smoking/#
- https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/minding-the-body/201403/what-sitting-does-your-psyche
- https://scienceleadership.org/blog/how_does_sitting_too_long_in_school_affect_the_students