DRussellAutismWebinar.txt

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Strategies for parents to promote 
physical activity for children with 
Autism Spectrum Disorder 
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Learning Objectives 

As a result of participating in this webinar, parents and 
guardians of children who have been diagnosed with Autism 
Spectrum Disorder will be able to� 

1.Understand the prevalence and general characteristics of 
children who have been diagnosed with Autism Spectrum 
Disorder 
2.Describe physical activity recommendations and benefits 
for children 
3.Describe how physical activity is beneficial for children with 
Autism Spectrum Disorder 
4.Describe strategies for engaging in developmentally-
appropriate, inclusive group and/or individual physical 
activities to use with child(ren) with Autism Spectrum 
Disorder 



Brief Description of Training 

�The purpose of this webinar is to educate parents 
about Autism Spectrum Disorder and the national 
physical activity recommendations for children. 
�Parents will be provided with a variety of 
strategies to engage in developmentally-
appropriate, inclusive group and/or individual 
physical activities to use with their child(ren) who 
have been diagnosed with Autism Spectrum 
Disorder. 



Autism Spectrum Disorders 

�Group of developmental disabilities caused by a problem with the 
brain, including (but not limited to) 
�Autistic Disorder 
�Pervasive Developmental Disorder-Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS) 
�Asperger Syndrome 


�Functioning at different levels 
�Vary, mildly to severely 


�Thinking and learning abilities 
�Gifted to severely challenged 


�May communicate, interact, behave, and learn in ways that are 
different from most people 
�May look same as most people 




Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (www.cdc.gov) 



General Characteristics of Children 
with Autism Spectrum Disorder 
Characteristic 

Social Interaction Impairments 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Speech, Language, and 
Communication Impairments 

 

 

 

 

 

Stereotyped or Repetitive 
Behavior 

 

 

 

Behavior 

A child may� 

�Have difficulty making eye contact with others 
�Show little body language or facial expressions when interacting 
�Have difficulty developing relationships with peers 
�Seem uninterested in sharing experiences 
�Engage less in give-and-take social interaction with caregivers, siblings 
and other close relations 






A child may� 

�Have difficulty communicating with speech or with gestures 
�Have difficulty understanding what others are saying to him 
�Have difficulty using the language he has to interact with others 
�Have difficulty starting or continuing a conversation 
�Have difficulty using his own sentences, and instead, may repeat what 
others say (referred to as echolalia) 
�Lack make-believe or pretend-play skills 






A child may� 

�Show interest in very few objects or activities and play with them in 
repetitive ways 
�Perform repetitive routines and have difficulty with changes in these 
routines 
�Spend time in repetitive movements (such as waving a hand in front of 
his face) 






 

 


Children with 
Autism Spectrum Disorder 

�2 million individuals diagnosed with ASD in U.S. 
�Tens of millions worldwide 




�1 in 88 American children 
�Increased 10% - 17% annually in recent years 
�Tens of millions worldwide 
�Ten-fold increase in past 40 years 


�Possible explanations (though not confirmed) for rising prevalence may 
include 
�Improved diagnosis 
�Increased awareness 
�Environmental influences 




�ASD is 4 to 5 times more common among boys than girls 
�1 out of 54 boys 
�1 out of 252 girls 





Physical Activity for all Children 

��An hour of PLAY every day!� 
�Participate in at least 60 minutes and up to several hours of physical 
activity per day 
�Physical activity should include 
1.Aerobic Activity (60 minutes every day) 
�Moderate-intensity aerobic activity 
�Brisk walking 


�Vigorous-intensity activity 
�Running 




2.Muscle Strengthening (3 days per week) 
�Gymnastics 
�Push-ups 




3.Bone Strengthening (3 days per week) 
�Jumping rope 
�Running 








 

White House. (2010). Solving the problem of childhood obesity within a generation. White House Task Force on 
childhood obesity: Report to the President, May 2010. 

 


Is Physical Activity Important? 
�For children diagnosed with ASD, participation in physical 
activity has been shown to have multiple benefits, including 
reduction of stereotypic behavior (Levinson & Reid, 1993; 
Prupas & Reid, 2001), increased appropriate responding (Kern 
et al., 1998), and the potential for social interaction (Berkeley, 
Zittel, Pitney, & Nichols, 2001). 
�The importance of physical activity to overall health for all 
individuals has been well-documented and increasing physical 
activity among youth is a critical, national health objective. 
(U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (USDHHS), 
2000) 



Why is Physical Activity Important? 
�Good Health 
�Helps build and maintain healthy bones and 
muscles. 
�Helps reduce the risk of developing obesity and 
chronic diseases, such as diabetes, cardiovascular 
disease, and colon cancer. 
�Reduces feelings of depression and anxiety and 
promotes psychological well-being. 





Why is Physical Activity Important? 
�Academic behavior and success 
�Academic achievement and grades 
�Academic behavior, such as time on task 
�Concentration and attentiveness in the classroom 


�Slowing or stopping overweight or obesity 
�Overweight and obesity are significant health 
concerns for all children especially those with any 
type of disability (Lloyd, Temple, Foley, 2012) 





Why is Physical Activity Important? 
�And much more� 
�Promotes self-esteem 
�Promotes self-confidence 
�Increases general levels of 
happiness 
�Leads to positive social 
outcomes 
�Reduces risk of depression 
�Helps promote better sleep 
�Reduces mental tension 
�Reduces muscular tension 
�Increases concentration 
�Increases energy levels 




 


�Decreases the frequency of 
negative, self-stimulating 
behaviors 
�Discourages aggressive and 
self-injurious behaviors 
�Improves attention span 





Are Children Physically Active? 
�No. 
�How many children in the US are physically active for 60 
minutes daily? 
�18.5% of girls 
�38.3% of boys 


�How many children in the US attend physical education 
(PE) class daily in their schools? 
�27.2% of girls 
�34.6% of boys 




�Children become LESS active as they get older 
�Physical activity levels are higher in elementary school 
compared to middle and high school. (Pan, 2009) 





Are Children with ASD Physically Active? 

�Probably not. 
�Children with disabilities are more likely to be 
sedentary (Lobstein, Baur, & Uauy, 2004) 


�Why are children with disabilities less active? 
�Fatigue 
�Pain 
�Social isolation 
�Difficulty with activities of daily living 
�Depression 
�Perceived cognitive and athletic inability (Baet &Van 
Strein; Rimmer, Rowland, & Yamaki, 2007) 





Are Children with ASD Physically Active? 

�Children with ASD tend to withdraw from 
physical activity due to the negative social and 
behavioral outcomes associated with the 
symptom. (Pan, 2009) 
�Youth with ASD often do not have basic access 
to physical activity opportunities for various 
reasons related to the disability and 
consequently are not afforded the same 
choices to be active. (Pan & Frey, 2006) 



Is Physical Activity EXERCISE? 

�No. 
�Physical activity is fun and is meant to be playful 
�Children should play, not exercise 


�Adults can exercise, children should play. 
�Adults can (and should) play too! 






 

Early life prevention is one of the most effective ways to 
improve physical and psychological health (USDHHS, 
2002) 

 

 



Barriers to Physical Activity 
Children 
�No where to play 
�No one to play with 
�Don�t know what to do 
�Poor motor coordination 
�Screen time (TV, gaming, computers, iPad, etc.) 
�Interferes with physical activity time 




 


Barriers to Physical Activity 
Parents 
�No where to play 
�Crowded, busy in the home 
�Parks and playgrounds are scary 
�School/after-school programs are too loud, busy for my child 


�No one to play with 
�Parents don�t know how to engage their children in physical activity 


�Is physical activity safe for my child? 
�Do I need to seek their doctor�s approval for my child to be physically active? 


�I�m not physically active 
�Do I need to seek my doctor�s approval for me to be physically active? 
�Parents don�t feel they have expertise to play with their children 


�Parents feel tired and overwhelmed 
�Screen time (TV, gaming, computers, iPad, etc.) 
�Interferes with physical activity time 




 



Where can Children Play? 
�School recess 
�School physical education 
�After-school at school or other program 
�School or community sport 
�Walking to or from school (or store, park, etc.) 
with an adult 
�Parks, playgrounds, community centers, etc. 
�At home 



Who can your child play with? 
�Teachers 
�Caregivers 
�Adults 
�Children 
�Siblings 
�**You 


 



How can I play at home with my 
child? 
�I need to be physically active too 
�Adults need to accumulate 30 minutes or 
more of moderate intensity physical activity 5 
or more days per week 
�(Pate et al., 1995) 


�Healthy, fit family 



Strategies for Parents to Engage in 
Physical Activity with their Children 

�Teach new physical activity skills to children by 
1.Breaking tasks down into smaller, organized 
tasks 
2.Rewarding child for successful attempt or 
achievement 


�Use simple motor activities 
�Take lots of breaks 
�Emphasize words like �play� and �fun� 
�not �exercise� or �fitness� or �health� 





Strategies for Parents to Engage in 
Physical Activity with their Children 

�Use visuals 
�Be consistent 
�Allow time for processing 
�Use positive reinforcement 
�Demonstrate 
�Participate 
�Initiate 



What can we do? 

�Walk 
�Variety of speeds 
�With or without music 


�Dance 
�Child chooses songs 
�Adult chooses songs 


�Play Ball 
�Soccer 
�Basketball 




 


Activities 
Excerpt from, 25 Exercise Games and Fun Indoor Activities to 
Get Kids Moving, by Anna Fader October 4, 2011 

 

�Jump Rope � If you have downstairs neighbors who 
complain, go in the hall or right outside your building. To 
make it more fun, pick up a book of jump-rope-rhymes. 
�Balloon Ball � There are endless ways to play with balloons 
indoors. Try to keep it off the ground or just play catch. 
�Wheelbarrow, Crab and Bear-walk � These tough positions 
mean you get a real workout. 
�Animal � Hop like a bunny or a frog, squat and waddle like a 
duck, etc. 



More Activities 
�Obstacle Course � Create a furniture course in your 
apartment or take chalk and make a course outside. 
�Follow the Leader � Add to the workout by doing energetic 
movements like jumping, stomping and squatting. 
�Dance Party � Turn on the music and shake your groove 
thang. 
�Freeze Dance � When the music stops, freeze in your pose 
and hold it until the music starts again. 
�Scavenger Hunt � Write up clues and hide them around the 
apartment. Kids can race to find each clue for a small prize at 
the end. 



Grenier, M. (2014). Physical education for students with 
Autism Spectrum Disorders: A comprehensive 
approach. Champagne, IL: Human Kinetics. 
The following information is presented as a brief review of the above book for review purposes only. 
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Change or Modify Skills, Activities, 
Games 
If changing or modifying an activity be sure to keep in 
mind the STEPS process: 


(S)tudent or child 

 Knowledge of child�s skills and abilities 

(T)asks or activity 

 Establish task or activity and then modify as 
necessary 

(E)quipment 

 Provide choices for kids 

(P)ersonnel or people 

 Support needed for the activity 

(S)afety 

 Personal safety of children as well as adults 

 


Jump Rope 
�Walk, hop or jump over ropes 


placed on the floor 

�Ropes that swing only halfway 
�Hand-to-hand support may be needed while 
jumping 
�May be able to perform the skill without any 
physical support 
�Full circular swing 


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Walk or Run 
With Your Child 
�Place buckets or hula hoops at certain 


 distances around the track or walking area 

�Give the child a beanbag and have him run 


 and place it in the next bucket 

�Have him continue until he has completed the 
distance 
�Have a peer run alongside the child to provide 
encouragement and verbal cues 
�Modify distances 


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Dribbling 
Rolling 
Children can perform 

activities such as dribbling or rolling a ball but with 
modifications to the standard way of doing the task 

�Allow children to choose the ball 
�Travel around with the ball 
�Dribble or roll slow or fast 
�Simply walk or roll the ball 
�Dribble or roll at different levels high or low 
�Dribble tag 




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Exercise Deck 

Exercise Deck is a visual activity. Cards are made 
ahead of time with pictures of exercises. Children 
draw playing cards that indicate activities. The 
number, or value, of the playing card tells the child 
how many times to do the activity. 

 


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Mirror, Mirror 
Children imitate a pose that is depicted on a task 
card, individually or with a partner. Mirror, Mirror 
is an activity that gives children an opportunity to 
stretch and balance in while working alone or with 
a partner. 

 

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Fitness Balls 
�Necessity is the mother of invention. In one of our 
Adapted Physical Education classes, the enthusiasm for the 
warm-up routine was gone. Students refused to follow any 
exercise warm-up routine we modeled. They didn�t want 
to move. They simply sat down. It was obvious that an 
instructional change was needed. We broke out our secret 
weapons: the big red fitness balls. When the students 
entered the gym, they saw the balls and sat on them...and 
then they began to move, bounce, and exercise.� (Grenier, 
2014) 


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Four Corners 
Four Corners is a way to vary laps and provide 
practice, modeling, and instruction for a variety of 
loco motor movements and sport skills. This 
activity teaches children to move around the 
perimeter of the gym or other designated area, 
which is a typical arrangement for running laps in 
physical education classes. This flexible approach 
to moving around the gym can easily be 
generalized to other gyms, unmarked recreation 
areas, and outdoor activity spaces. 

 


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Stations 

�Bounce Pass 
�Shooting 
�Punting 
�Passing and receiving 
�Kicking Tees 
�Kicking 
�Ball Handling 



Tag You�re It 
(Excerpt from the book) 

Tag, You�re It! helps students learn how to play the game of tag with the help of visual cues. 

Motor Skill Objectives Chasing and fleeing, adjusting to small-organization games. 

Age Range Preschool, primary (K-2), intermediate (3-5). 

Social Skill Objectives Assuming the role of �tagger� in a game. 

Equipment and Materials Needed A tag stick (see appendix 7E for directions for building a 

tag stick), tagging hand, foam noodle, or thunder stick can supply the extra visual cue to help students with 

ASD understand the �it� in tag games (see figure 7.20). The idea is to make the tagger visually 

obvious and to teach the student with ASD what to do as the tagger. 

Procedure 

Have students practice tagging in partners. Be very explicit and demonstrate the rules for tag in 

your gym or on the playground. Include such instructions as, �Where can you tag?� and identify specific body parts that students can tag 
such as the shoulder, back, or arm. Do not tell them where not to tag. Students with ASD generally have difficulty with negative 
instructions. Explicitly instruct students in how to tag with the tag stick and demonstrate what you want them to do. Check for 
understanding by saying, �Show me how to tag.� Help them to get the right touch with the proper amount of force. Once they have the 
tagging down, have them play partner tag. One partner should be an adult or experienced peer who has the tag stick and models what 
to do, saying, �Tag, you�re it. Your turn [while handing the student the tag stick]. Come get me.� Gradually increase the size of the group 
playing tag. Assign student with ASD the role of tagger along with three or four peers who can assist them. 

Helpful Hints and Modifications 

�Students with ASD can be made �all-time tagger,� meaning that their job in the game is only to tag. 
�Teach freeze tag, instructing students to stop and freeze when they are touched by the tag stick. 
�Teach students how to reenter the game. Tunnel tag is a good example. Say, �Freeze in a straddle stance until someone crawls 
between your legs.� 
�Have students use a variety of loco motor patterns in tag games. 


 
Read more from Physical Education for Students With Autism Spectrum Disorders, by Michelle Grenier. 


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Conclusion 
Have Fun! 

 

Unplug the Television! 


Enjoy your child! 


Presenter Information 
Donna M. Russell 

Master of Science in Social Work (MSSW) student 

 

University of Louisville 

Kent School of Social Work 

Oppenheimer Hall 

Louisville, KY 40292 

dmruss04@louisville.edu 

 

Family and Children�s Place 

Family and School Services, After School Coordinator 

525 Zane Street 

Louisville, KY 40203 

 

 

 

Ms. Donna M. Russell is a graduate student in the Advanced Standing Program of the Master of Science in 
Social Work (MSSW) at University of Louisville�s (UofL) Raymond A. Kent School of Social Work in Louisville, 
Kentucky. She earned her Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) from UofL in May 2012 and is on track to graduate 
with her MSSW in May 2014. She has held various roles within Family and Children�s Place in Louisville ranging 
from a case manager to contributing to after-school programs for academically, socially, and emotionally at-risk 
elementary and middle school children. She is an active member of the Kentucky branch of the National 
Association of Social Workers (NASW), and has achieved the Dean�s List for her academic performance while at 
UofL. 

 

 

 


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