A quarterly publication of the Autism Research Institute
Summer 2025 | Number 3, Volume 39
Play involving whole-body movement provides more cognitive and behavioral benefits for children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) than sedentary play, according to a study by U.S. researchers.
W. C. Su and colleagues enrolled 40 young children in their study, matching them based on age and ability and randomly assigning half to a “movement” and half to a “sedentary” play group. The movement group participated in whole-body play—for instance, dancing to music or jumping over objects—while the sedentary group participated in seated activities such as building with blocks, reading, or doing arts and crafts. Children were allowed to choose their preferred activities.
Before and after the intervention, the researchers measured the children’s inhibitory control—that is, their ability to suppress impulses and choose more appropriate actions. They detected a significant correlation between lower inhibitory control and behavioral issues occurring during the play sessions. They report, “Interventions involving play-based, whole-body movements led to improvements in inhibitory control and reduced sensory/negative behaviors, while traditional sedentary play did not yield such improvements.”
The researchers conclude that clinicians should assess executive function (which includes skills such as inhibitory control) when addressing behavioral issues in children with ASD, and should incorporate whole-body exercise into their programs in order to enhance both executive function and behavior.
“Effects of movement and sedentary play interventions on executive functioning and their relationships with sensory, repetitive, and negative behaviors of children with ASD—a pilot RCT,” W. C. Su, S. Srinivasan, and A. N. Bhat, Disability and Rehabilitation, February 2025 (online). Address: A. N. Bhat, Department of Physical Therapy, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19713, [email protected].
—and—
“Study reveals cognitive, behavioral benefits of whole-body play for children with autism,” news release, Amy Cherry, University of Delaware, May 12, 2025.
