This was the case with Brody’s paents who read about the benefits of exercise for those with autism. They recognized that their son was not getting enough and wanted to add more physical activity to his schedule.

I first met Brody at his home when he T was eight years old, when I went there as a personal trainer to give him a physical fitness assessment. As I entered through the front door, Brody walked toward me, made brief eye contact, and kept walking past. I thoughtfully followed him as he tip-toed around the dining room table and I said, "Hi Brody."

I was taken aback by his response, "no more doctors."

In my many years working with those with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) I was accustomed to hearing "no exercise," or "I don't want to exercise," but never heard anyone say, "no more doctors."

I went there to teach Brody, but in fact he taught me. I have come to understand that due to all the new breakthroughs in research, therapies, and programs, Brody and his peers have what I would call “therapy fatigue.” Hearing those three simple words changed my approach for delivering exercise to this community, and how I educate parents, exercise professionals, therapists, and higher education. Exercise needs to be positioned differently because exercise is not therapy. Exercise is part of a healthy lifestyle, the same thing that their parents, the professionals who serve them, and what everyone else does (hopefully).

For all the right reasons, professionals are assessing, observing, critiquing, box-checking, and following the students’ every move. Brody, for example, would go through a full day of school with a one-to-one paraeducator, come home for a “break” (e.g., 30-minutes for a snack), and then start three more hours of therapy sessions. Hence, therapy fatigue.

Imagine if you went to work and your manager was right next to you, commenting on every move you make for six hours a day, five days a week. My guess is you too may be prompted to scream, hit that person or yourself, or cry. It makes complete sense why Brody would blurt out, "no more doctors."

10-MINUTES TO EXERCISE SUCCESS

As professionals and parents, we are all looking to meet our clients' or children's goals as quickly as possible. The wrong goals and expectations when teaching exercise will be counterproductive. Many people think of a quality workout as 60-minutes of high-intensity exertion that ends in pools of sweat. This approach will backfire for those with ASD and certainly will not introduce exercise as a lifetime activity.

“Imagine if you went to work and your manager was right next to you, commenting on every move you make for six hours a day, five days a week. My guess is you too may be prompted to scream, hit that person or yourself, or cry. It makes complete sense why Brody would blurt out,“no more doctors.”

The goal is to get through the exercise session in an enjoyable way. As long as you get them through the session, you have won. When starting, be like the tortoise not the hare.

A 2017 research study from Rutgers University concluded that 10 minutes of low- to moderate-intensity exercise produces significant and large reductions in stereotypical behavior (i.e., echolalia and hand flapping) in those with ASD for the following 60 minutes.11 Additionally, exercise is identified as one of the 27 evidence-based practices for those with autism, as an intervention involving increases in physical exertion as a means of reducing problem behaviors or increasing appropriate behavior while increasing physical fitness and motor skills.16 While we know the function of stereotypic or repetitive behaviors can vary, exercise is a key component in a multifaceted approach to reducing stereotypical behaviors, when appropriate.

10-minutes is an achievable starting goal for both the child and parent/professional. So is the low-to-moderate intensity level. Introducing exercise at a low intensity for a realistic timeframe (for your schedule and theirs) is the pathway to success. As further evidence in the National Survey of Autism Treatment Effectiveness, autism parents rated exercise as the #1 treatment for those with autism.1 The benefits and power of exercise are too great to be ignored.

AWARENESS RAISES MORE QUESTIONS, EDUCATION PROVIDES MORE ANSWERS

A population-based study indicates that U.S. adolescents with learning and behavioral developmental disabilities are 60% more likely to become obese.15 Another study found that 31.8% of adolescents with autism were obese. While gross motor and movement-based activities are often part of physical therapy (PT) and occupational therapy (OT), and many children are participating in physical or adapted physical education, this is still not enough physical activity.