Effects of an exercise programme on anxiety in adults with intellectual disabilities.

Researchers tested a 12-week exercise program with the adults who had mild or moderate intellectual disabilities.

Half the group did guided workouts three times a week. The other half kept their normal routine.

Anxiety was measured before and after using a simple rating scale that staff could fill out.

The exercise group dropped their anxiety scores by almost one third.

The no-exercise group stayed the same.

The change was big enough that you could see it in daily life, not just on paper.

Kaya et al. (2025) found UAE mothers saw less anxiety in their kids with ASD when the family got a pet. Both studies show simple daily activities can calm nerves, even though one used dogs and the other used treadmills.

Chandler et al. (1992) taught kids with autism to watch and reward their own behavior. Like the exercise study, the gains held without staff hovering, showing adults and kids can both keep new habits.

Burrows et al. (2018) gave mice a drug that cut repetitive grooming. The exercise study did not test repetitive behavior, but both point to different roads to lower stress in developmental disabilities.

You can add three 30-minute exercise blocks to any adult day program. No new meds, no extra staff training. Just pick walking, simple weights, or dance videos. Track anxiety with the same five-question scale the study used. If scores drop after four weeks, keep going. If not, adjust the activity level. This gives you a low-cost tool to help clients feel calmer every day.