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The influence of vigorous versus mild exercise on autistic stereotyped behaviors

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Abstract

A major problem encountered in many autistic children is their high rate of stereotypic behavior, which has been shown to interfere with on-task responding and other appropriate behaviors. Since the experimental literature indicates that physical exercise can positively influence both appropriate and inappropriate behaviors, including the children's stereotypic behaviors, the purpose of this study was to investigate whether the specific type of exercise (i.e., mild vs. vigorous) would differentially affect subsequent stereotyped behaviors. The results demonstrated that (1) 15 minutes of mild exercise (ball playing) had little or no influence on the children's subsequent stereotyped responding, and (2) 15 minutes of continuous and vigorous exercise (jogging) was always followed by reductions in stereotyped behaviors. These results are discussed in relation to cognitive, physiological, and educational implications.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Social Process Research Institute, University of California, 93106, Santa Barbara, California

    Lynn Kern, Robert L. Koegel & Glen Dunlap

Authors
  1. Lynn Kern
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  2. Robert L. Koegel
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  3. Glen Dunlap
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Additional information

This research was supported by United States Public Health Service research grants MH 28210 and MH 28231 from the National Institute of Mental Health, and by Research Contract No. 300-82-0362 from the U.S. Department of Education-Special Education Program. The authors are grateful for the contributions of Diane Gilchrist, Julie Martin, Karen Sallus, Lynne Bonngard, Bill Krutzen, Lee Kern, John Burke, and Rob O'Neill.

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Kern, L., Koegel, R.L. & Dunlap, G. The influence of vigorous versus mild exercise on autistic stereotyped behaviors. J Autism Dev Disord 14, 57–67 (1984). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02408555

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