How to include exercise routine to your kid with autism and improve it?  

Vigorous exercise is one of the most effective treatments for autistic kids. If your kid with autism leads an inactive lifestyle, they might gain too much weight, which could lead to even more problems. Therefore, it is incredibly essential to include a workout routine into your kid’s life. 

 While you understand how crucial exercise is to your kid, you also understand how difficult motivating them could be. Read on to learn a few tips to help your child with autism get excited about participating in a fitness program and improve at it. 

1. Visual Progress Sheets

 Many autistic children are visual learners. Therefore, if you want to encourage your kid to work out, display their progress visually. Like anyone else, your kid will be impressed to see progress. On the progress sheet, indicate where your kid started, where they are at the moment, and where they want to be. 

2. Model a Regime Around Their Interests

 Have you noticed your child’s specific interests? If you encourage them to do activities that align with their interests, they will genuinely enjoy exercising. For instance, if your child enjoys riding the bicycle, you can allocate more time to this activity to help them stay healthy.  To keep your child’s interest at the peak, you can start by allocating little time to activity and gradually increasing it if they are enjoying it. 

3. Introduce Them to Other Kids 

 Usually, autistic kids manifest very strong attachments to particular behaviors or activities. While the intense interest could work to their benefit, it also puts them at risk of leading a sedentary lifestyle. For instance, if they enjoy watching, they can spend all day glued in front of the television, leaving no room for other activities. 

 However, you can expose your child to a wide range of interests by introducing them to other kids on the autism spectrum. As they interact in a group set up, they get a chance to participate in physical activity. You can organize various forums with other parents, such as camps and group events. Besides helping them stay healthy, it also gives them a chance to build social bonds.

4. Pick Activities that Don’t Heighten Their Anxiety

 Most children shy away from exercise because the social component does not appeal to them. Crowds and loud noises could create sensations of sensory overload. To help your child overcome these problems, tailor a fitness routine that is sensitive to their needs. Instead of forcing them to do activities that heighten their anxiety, encourage them to explore things they are comfortable with. 

The Takeaway

 As you encourage your child to be more active, don’t limit the options to mainstream sports. Feel free to include creative activities, and your kid will be active without even realizing it. Also, use technology to your advantage, such as getting them wearable gadgets that track their workout progress. Most importantly, talk to other parents to pick some lessons on how to help your kid improve.