Effects of physical activity and exercise-based interventions in young adults with autism spectrum disorder: A systematic review.

LAY ABSTRACT: Young adults with autism spectrum disorder over 18 years of age are an underserved population, and there is presently limited evidence examining the effects of physical activity programs in this population. Our review synthesizes the evidence to date from studies that have assessed the effects of physical activity/exercise programs in young adults with autism spectrum disorder between 19 and 30 years. We reviewed 22 studies that included a total of 763 young adults with autism spectrum disorder. There is the strongest evidence for improvements in physical fitness, followed by motor skills, psychological function, and quality of life following physical activity interventions in young adults with autism spectrum disorder. Specifically, aerobic and resistance training as well as programs focused on movement skill and sport-specific training lead to improved physical fitness and movement performance. Holistic interventions focusing on physical activity, dietary changes, and lifestyle modifications lead to improvements in body composition and quality of life of young adults with autism spectrum disorder. There is presently limited evidence to support the use of exercise/activity programs to improve physical activity levels and core autism symptoms in young adults with autism spectrum disorder. Based on our review results, we also provide practical recommendations for clinicians working with young adults with autism spectrum disorder.

Effects of Equine Therapy on Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Systematic Review.

Literature on effects of equine therapy in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has grown in recent times. Equine therapy is an alternative multimodal intervention that involves utilizing a horse to enhance core impairments in ASD. Recent systematic reviews in this area have several limitations including inclusion of populations other than ASD, assessment of a variety of animal-assisted interventions other than equine therapy, and a failure to conduct quantitative analyses to provide accurate effect size estimates. We conducted a focused systematic review to address these limitations. Our review suggested that equine therapy has beneficial effects on behavioral skills and to some extent on social communication in ASD. The evidence for positive effects of equine therapy on perceptuo-motor, cognitive, and functional skills is currently limited.

A review of "music and movement" therapies for children with autism: embodied interventions for multisystem development.

The rising incidence of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs) has led to a surge in the number of children needing autism interventions. This paper is a call to clinicians to diversify autism interventions and to promote the use of embodied music-based approaches to facilitate multisystem development. Approximately 12% of all autism interventions and 45% of all alternative treatment strategies in schools involve music-based activities. Musical training impacts various forms of development including communication, social-emotional, and motor development in children with ASDs and other developmental disorders as well as typically developing children. In this review, we will highlight the multisystem impairments of ASDs, explain why music and movement therapies are a powerful clinical tool, as well as describe mechanisms and offer evidence in support of music therapies for children with ASDs. We will support our claims by reviewing results from brain imaging studies reporting on music therapy effects in children with autism. We will also discuss the critical elements and the different types of music therapy approaches commonly used in pediatric neurological populations including autism. We provide strong arguments for the use of music and movement interventions as a multisystem treatment tool for children with ASDs. Finally, we also make recommendations for assessment and treatment of children with ASDs, and provide directions for future research.