Structured Physical Activity Program as an Effective Adjuvant Intervention for Autistic Children in Low-resource Settings

Introduction: Structured physical activities provide predictability, creating a lower-stress environment for autistic children to learn necessary skills. This study aimed to identify the effects of structured physical activities on behavior issues, sensory issues, skill acquisition, and the severity of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) among autistic children. Material and Methods: This institution-based experimental study was conducted at a center for neurodevelopmental disorders in Jaffna, Sri Lanka, among 24 autistic children. In addition to their routine therapy, 12 of these children received adjuvant structured physical activity (intervention group), while the other 12, matched for age, gender and severity of ASD, engaged in unstructured physical activities (control group) for 40 minutes a day, thrice weekly for 3 months. Behavior issues, sensory issues, skill acquisition, and severity of ASD were measured before and after the intervention using a locally developed behavior checklist, Sensory Profile-2, Assessment of Basic Language and Learning Skills - Revised, and Childhood Autism Rating Scale, respectively. Data were analyzed in the R statistical computing software using linear multilevel regressions. Results: On average, the children were aged 4 years and 2 months (SD = 13 months). Children in the intervention group showed a greater decrease in behavioral issues ( p < .001), visual ( p = .004) and movement processing ( p < .001) issues, and severity of ASD ( p = .016), and greater improvement in gross motor, fine motor, social interaction, and play and leisure skills ( p < .001 for all). Discussion: Incorporating structured physical activity as an adjuvant to routine therapy for autistic children will bring about improvement in multiple aspects of ASD. Expanding this program in other low-resource settings can facilitate early intervention for ASD and make such interventions accessible to all.