A quarterly publication of the Autism Research Institute
Winter 2025 | Number 1, Volume 39
A growing body of research indicates that exercise can benefit autistic individuals in ways that extend beyond physical health, and three new studies add to this evidence.
In the first study, Weike Zhang and colleagues compared 15 young male children with ASD who participated in a 12-week mini-basketball training program to 13 children enrolled in a control group. All of the children underwent resting-state functional MRI brain scans before and after the intervention.
The researchers found that following the training, the children in the basketball group showed improvements in stereotypy, restricted interests, and self-injurious behavior compared to controls. In addition, they say, the intervention helped to normalize the dynamic connectivity of the “triple network,” a term that refers to three brain networks— the salience network, default mode network, and central executive network—that play key and interconnected roles in cognitive function and emotional processing.
“In conclusion,” the researchers say, “this study provides novel evidence that a mini-basketball training program can effectively modulate dynamic connectivity patterns within the triple network system in children with ASD. These findings extend beyond previous static connectivity observations, highlighting the potential of structured exercise interventions in promoting neural plasticity and improving brain network dynamics.”
In the second study, Saeed Arsham and colleagues recruited 50 autistic boys, all around 13 years of age, to participate in 12 weeks of bicycle-riding exercises. The researchers divided the participants into a control group and several experimental groups with different training frequencies and intensities. At baseline, after the 12-week period, and at a one-month follow-up, they measured participants’ communication skills and stereotyped behaviors using the Gilliam Autism Rating Scale (GARS-2).
The researchers report, “[T]here was a significant difference in the post-test of stereotyped behavior and communication skills and follow-up test one month later between the intervention and control groups after performing bike riding skills exercises with low and high intensities and frequencies (one and three sessions per week).”
They conclude, “Regardless of the intensity and frequency, bike riding skills training during the critical period of adolescence can significantly reduce stereotyped behaviors and enhance communication skills, which can also support positive development in other domains for individuals with autism.”
In the third study, Claudia Hilton and colleagues examined the effects of a mandatory daily 35-minute physical activity program lasting for 12 months. A total of 29 autistic adolescents participated in the program.
The researchers report, “Significant improvements were seen in fitness, executive function areas (specifically cognitive flexibility and planning/organizing), restrictive and repetitive behaviors, and social responsiveness.”
“Alterations of triple network dynamic connectivity and repetitive behaviors after mini-basketball training program in children with autism spectrum disorder,” Weike Zhang, Kelong Cai, Xuan Xiong, Lina Zhu, Zhiyuan Sun, Sixin Yang, Wei Cheng, Haiyong Mao, and Aiguo Chen, Nature Scientific Reports, January 2025 (free online). Address: Aiguo Chen, Nanjing Sport Institute, Nanjing 210014, China, [email protected].
—and—
“Bike-riding training may improve communication skills and stereotyped behavior in adolescents with autism,” Saeed Arsham, Maalek Mirzaei, and Christophe Domingos, Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, January 8, 2025. Address: Saeed Arsham, Department of Motor Behavior, Kharazmi University, Tehran, Iran, [email protected].
—and—
“Fit club: Outcomes from a 35-minute daily exercise program for autistic adolescents,” Claudia L. Hilton, Diane M. Collins, Julie Jones, Joanne Flanagan, Cora Carillo, and Karen Ratcliff, Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders, Vol. 119, January 2025 (online). Address: Claudia Hilton, University of Texas Medical Center, Occupational Therapy Department, 301 University Blvd., Galveston, TX 77555-1142, [email protected].
Editor’s note: When people ask me if there is a single intervention that can benefit nearly all autistic individuals, my answer is “exercise.” In addition to reducing challenging behaviors and encouraging social and communicative skills, exercise can help individuals with autism sleep better and reduce their risk of health problems, including obesity and diabetes.
