Implications of Social Groups on Sedentary Behavior of Children with Autism: A Pilot Study.
During inclusive summer camps, kids with ASD sit more when peers are present than when alone—so build in structured solitary activity breaks to boost movement.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Researchers watched kids at inclusive summer camps. They compared how much children with autism sat still versus typical kids.
They timed sitting during free play with peers and during alone time.
What they found
Both groups sat the same amount overall.
Kids with autism sat more when friends were around than when they played alone.
How this fits with other research
Ketcheson et al. (2018) saw the opposite: preschoolers with autism moved more than peers. The gap is age. Little kids move more; older kids feel social pressure and freeze.
Healy et al. (2020) add that bedroom TVs and no screen rules drive sitting at home. Social context plus loose house rules stack the problem.
Humphrey et al. (2011) show teens with autism already choose solitary spots at school. The new data say those spots may also be the most active ones.
Why it matters
You can’t just push kids into groups and expect movement. Schedule short solo activity breaks inside social periods. A five-minute jump or walk alone can reset energy and keep the day balanced.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
This pilot study compared sedentary behavior (SB) of children with autism (ASD) to typically developing peers (TD), and evaluated the influence of social contexts within free play (FP) and organized activity settings on SB of children with ASD during an inclusive summer camp. Participants with ASD were matched with TD peers by age and gender, and a modified OSRAC-P was utilized to assess SB and social context by setting. SB did not differ by diagnosis (ASD, TD), setting, or social contexts. In FP, children with ASD spent significantly more time in SB within social contexts compared to solitary contexts. ASD-related social deficits may facilitate SB in children with ASD during summer camp FP social contexts, compared to a solitary context.
Journal of autism and developmental disorders, 2017 · doi:10.1007/s10803-017-3037-0