severity of disorder

 Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a lifetime neurodevelopmental disorder. Children and adolescents with ASD participate less in physical activities than typically developed peers. Participation in physical activities can promote physical health and bring useful experiences in creating and maintaining effective social communication interactions for children and adolescents with ASD. In comparison, a low level of physical activity can lead to the risk of health–related disease. This study compares physical activity levels in children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder in terms of gender, educational status, severity of disorder, and type of comorbid disorders.

 The method of this present study was descriptive–analytic. The research samples were 370 children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorders ages 8 to 20 years from both genders. The sampling method was a multi–stage cluster. About 63% of participants (n=233) were boys, while 37% of participants (n=137) were girls. According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition, all participants received a clinical diagnosis. According to educational grade, 62.2% of participants were studying in elementary school (230 people), 23.8% in junior high school (88 people), 13.5% in senior high school (50 people), and 1.1% in preschool (4 people). Also, in terms of autism severity, 23.5% of participants had mild autism (87 people), 37.3% moderate autism (138 people), 23.8% severe autism (88 people), 5.9% (22 people) Asperger syndrome, 0.5% Rett syndrome (2 people) and 7.6% other types. For measuring physical activity, the Physical Activity Questionnaire for Older Children (PAQ–C) (Crocker et al., 1997) and the Physical Activity Questionnaire for Adolescents (PAQ–A) (Kowlaski et al., 1997) were used. Descriptive statistics (frequency, percentage, mean and standard deviation) and inferential statistics (the independent t test, 1–way analysis of variance and Scheffé post hoc test) were used to analyze the data. All tests were performed using SPSS version 23 software at a significance level of 0.05.

 There was no significant difference between the physical activity level of girls and boys with ASD (p=0.147). Significant differences were observed between the amount of physical activity of children and adolescents with ASD according to the level of education (p<0.001) and the severity of the disorder (p<0.001). However, there was no significant difference between the level of physical activity according to the type of comorbidity disorders (p=0.057). There were significant differences in physical activity between elementary school children and junior high school teenagers (p=0.010) and between junior high school children and senior high school children (p=0.049). There were significant differences in the amount of physical activity between children and adolescents with mild autism disorder and children and adolescents with severe autism disorder (p=0.036), Asperger syndrome (p=0.012) and Rett syndrome (p=0.002), also among children and adolescents with moderate autism disorder with children and adolescents with severe autism (p=0.031) and Asperger syndrome (p=0.006) and between children and adolescents with severe autism and Asperger syndrome (p=0.046).

 Based on the study results, the educational level and the severity of the disorder are effective in the amount of physical activity of children and adolescents with ASD. Also, it is suggested that physical activity in higher education grades be given more attention in schools, and appropriate interventions be designed based on this item.