Young Children with ASD Participate in the Same Level of Physical Activity as Children Without ASD: Implications for Early Intervention to Maintain Good Health.

Researchers compared how much 4- to 7-year-olds with autism move during the day with kids the same age without autism. They used small waist trackers to count moderate-to-vigorous physical activity, or MVPA. The study pulled data from a big 2016 national health survey.

Kids with autism logged the same amount of active time as their typical peers. The gap seen in older children had not shown up yet. In short, preschool and kindergarten movement levels are equal.

Whaling et al. (2025) looked at the same survey and found the same null result for ages 3-8, a direct replication. Healy et al. (2019) extended the age range to 18 and saw the deficit appear, showing the split starts after age 7. Two older studies seem to clash: Hilton et al. (2010) and Pan et al. (2009) found big motor-skill problems in kids aged 5-12. The gap is explained by age; the target paper shows no MVPA difference at 4-7, while motor delays emerge later and then limit participation (Caires et al., 2023).

You can stop assuming young clients with autism are naturally less active. Plan gross-motor goals because they help social and repetitive symptoms (Shimeng et al., 2023), not because the child is already behind. Watch for emerging delays around second grade and add motor screens then. Until age 7, focus on keeping the good start going.