Cognitive and social functioning are connected to physical activity behavior in children with autism spectrum disorder

Background: For the first time this study aimed to examine the association of cognitive and social function with the physical activity behavior in a sample of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Method: Sixty eight children with ASD aged 6-16 years underwent an objective assessment of physical activity and cognitive flexibility. Parents were also asked to rate the social profile for their children. Results: The results showed that age, gender and cognitive flexibility are associated with moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA). Analysis also showed that parent education and social function were associated with continuous minutes of physical activity. Conclusions: These preliminary findings indicated that children with ASD who had poor cognitive or social skills would be less physically active and more sedentary. Moreover, the results highlighted the age and gender as possible risk factors of physical inactivity in children with ASD. (C) 2016 Published by Elsevier Ltd.