Background/Purpose: Many believe that children with disabilities are less physically active than their counterparts. However, current literature examining the physical activity (PA) of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) compared to children without ASD, suggest conflicting results. These inconclusive results may due to failure of selecting an appropriate matching group. The current literature suggests that a child's environment is a significant influencing factor of the overall PA levels. Also, parents have a significant influence on the PA of their children. The purpose of this study was to examine the PA of children with ASD by matching groups based on similar environments and parental influences.
Method: PA of 16 children (8 pairs of siblings) with and without ASD were examined by using accelerometers to evaluate time spent in MVPA, total amount of PA, and determining if children with ASD met the current CDC PA recommendation less than their siblings.
Analysis/Results: The results of one-way MANCOVA indicated no significant differences on time spent in MVPA and total amount of PA, Wilks l=0.87 (p>.05), partial h2=1.30. The results of logistic regression also indicated that there were no differences between children with and without ASD in meeting the current PA recommendation.
Conclusions: The results suggest that children with ASD were no less active than their counterparts, but they are not meeting the current PA recommendation. This study also suggests that it may not be the disability that limits the PA but instead the environmental factors may influence the activity level.