The differential and temporal effects of antecedent exercise on the self-stimulatory behavior of a child with autism

Abstract

The effects of two levels of exercise (walking versus jogging) in suppressing the self-stimulatory behavior of a five-year-old boy with autism were examined. The exercise conditions were applied immediately before periods of academic programming. Maladaptive self-stimulatory behaviors were separately tracked, enabling identification of behaviors that were more susceptible to change (e.g., physical self-stimulation and “out of seat” behavior) versus those that were more resistant (e.g., visual self-stimulation). Examination of temporal effects indicated a decrease in physical self-stimulation and “out of seat” behavior, but only for the jogging condition. In addition, sharp reductions in these behaviors were observed immediately following the jogging intervention and gradually increased but did not return to baseline levels over a 40 min period. Implications for further research and clinical intervention are discussed.