Motor proficiency and physical fitness in adolescent males with and without autism spectrum disorders.
Teen boys with ASD show big motor and fitness gaps that start early and last without direct, fun movement goals.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Pan (2014) tested 48 boys with ASD and 48 matched boys without ASD. All were 12-17 years old.
Each teen took six motor tests and five fitness tests. The team compared scores between groups.
What they found
The ASD group scored lower on every test except body weight. The gaps were large.
The biggest lags were in running speed, core strength, and balance.
How this fits with other research
Lloyd et al. (2013) saw the same pattern in toddlers. Motor age lag widened every six months.
Healy et al. (2022) asked autistic adults why they skip exercise. Top answers: no motivation, bored, no ride. These barriers likely start in the teen years shown by Chien-Yu.
Esteban-Figuerola et al. (2019) pooled food records and found only small nutrient gaps. Together the studies show large motor deficits but only mild diet gaps, so movement—not food—is the bigger teen health gap.
Why it matters
If you write plans for teens with ASD, add clear motor goals now. Use short, fun drills like 10-m shuttle runs or 30-s planks. Pair peers to cut boredom and boost motivation. Track scores each month to stop the gap from widening into adulthood.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
This study compared components of motor proficiency and physical fitness in adolescents with and without autism spectrum disorders, and assessed the associations between the two measures within each group. A total of 62 adolescent males with (n = 31) and without (n = 31) autism spectrum disorders aged 10-17 years completed the Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency (2nd ed.), the BROCKPORT Physical Fitness Test, and the bioelectrical impedance analysis. The main findings are as follows: (1) adolescents with autism spectrum disorders had significantly lower scores on all motor proficiency and fitness measures, except body composition, than adolescents without autism spectrum disorders and that (2) the types of associations between the two measures differed significantly across the groups. Specific interventions to maximize motor proficiency and physical fitness in adolescents with autism spectrum disorders are urgently needed.
Autism : the international journal of research and practice, 2014 · doi:10.1177/1362361312458597