Welcome back to Reading the Research, where I trawl the Internet to find noteworthy research on autism and related subjects, then discuss it in brief with bits from my own life, research, and observations.
Today's article shows a troubling trend in exercise for autistic people. It seems that sometime before age 13, autistic people just sort of taper off doing moderate to vigorous exercise.
This isn't the first exercise-focused study in autism I've seen. Actually, I participated in one that was focused on adults. But it's not unreasonable to also look at children, because habits built in childhood absolutely affect adulthood.
The study summary has no opinion as to why that particular age would be where physical activity levels diverge. I have some guesses, but no solid answers.
First, I am quite certain my personal physical activity level decreased significantly after I learned to read. As more and more books opened up to me, I spent a very significant amount of time with my nose in a book, rather than outside running around. Though the measured amounts of screen time between neurotypical and autistic kids didn't vary, it's possible that other sedentary past times, like board games or reading, took the place of active activities.
Second, age 13 is, in the US, about when you start getting to choose what activities you want to do. For an autistic person who's suffered socially and perhaps has only a few friends, signing up for a team sport isn't usually a really attractive option. And even if you still do it, as I did with a rowing team, the experience is often not terribly pleasant.
I think the nicest thing I can say about the rowing team experience is that I was pretty good at it. I have a naturally strong back and legs, and rowing uses all of that and your arms to boot. Which was why I was in two boat teams, not one. For all that I was heavy and absolutely godawful at fitness, I was apparently worth bringing along for that raw power.
The thing is, I was always, always an outcast. There was no time in my memory where I was "one of us" when it wasn't race day and it was a matter of convenience. Most self-respecting children wouldn't be satisfied with that. And I wasn't, really. It was something I was good at, and I was sufficiently miserable all the time that that was enough.
Finally, there's one last factor that combines with the others. Autism can come with complex medical needs and differences. We can have significantly worse physical dexterity and hand-eye coordination, simply because our brains are different. We may need a special diet, or frequent doctor visits. We may suffer additional allergies that make being outside torturous, or have a histamine buildup issue that makes us utterly miserable after a certain amount of exercise (hi!). All of these things factor into whether we experience sports and other exercise activities as worthwhile or pleasant. And whether others value us and invite us to those activities.
I absolutely agree with the researchers on the importance of physical exercise. That said, it's currently winter and I barely get any exercise myself right now. Would things be different if I'd been taught foraging and hiking much younger? If team sports hadn't been a horrible mix of anxiety and impending failure? If I hadn't had this weird histamine issue and the tendency towards being overweight?
Perhaps. I hope so.
(Pst! If you like seeing the latest autism-relevant research, visit my Twitter, which has links and brief comments on studies that were interesting, but didn't get a whole Reading the Research article about them.)
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