Obesity Status and Physical Activity Level in Children and Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Pilot Study.

Researchers looked at weight and movement in people with autism. They checked body-mass index and wore activity trackers for a week. The group had kids, teens, and adults.

This was a small pilot study. It gave the first real counts of moderate-to-vigorous activity in this population.

Adult men with autism were more often overweight or obese. Heavier kids and teens sat more on weekends. They also logged fewer minutes of brisk activity.

The link held for both boys and girls. Less movement went hand-in-hand with higher fat mass.

Eussen et al. (2016) and Heald et al. (2020) saw the same pattern in large U.S. surveys. Autistic teens were heavier and moved less than typical peers. The new pilot adds hard activity data to their survey numbers.

Seáñ et al. (2019) found autistic youth carry 1.5-times the obesity risk. The pilot agrees, but shows the gap continues into adulthood.

Matheson et al. (2019) tested a fix: a parent-led weight program. Kids lost weight and ate more vegetables. Their study shows the problem the pilot flagged can be tackled in clinic.

You now know extra weight often comes with low activity in clients with autism. Track weekend screen time and brisk play minutes, not just BMI. When you see both red flags, refer to adapted sports programs or parent training like Matheson’s. Small shifts in daily movement can protect long-term health.