The Feasibility of a Community-Based Judo Program and Cortisol Collection in Children with Autism

Objectives Individuals diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often have increased levels of stress, leading to dysregulated production of cortisol. Participation in activity with a mindfulness component may reduce levels of stress and cortisol in children. The purpose of this study was to examine the feasibility and preliminary effects of a community-based judo program on cortisol levels in youth with ASD. Methods Seventeen participants completed the judo program. Twelve were included in the final analysis. Participants were split into age groups: children (n = 5; 8-12 years) and adolescents (n = 7 ; 13-17 years). A standardized protocol was developed through a collaboration between researchers and families of participants to collect the salivary cortisol samples. Changes in acute (before/after one judo session) and chronic (week 1/week 10) salivary cortisol levels between age groups were assessed using repeated measures. Results No significant chronic x age (F(1,10) = .046, p = .456, eta(2)(p) = .057) or acute x age (F(1, 10) =4.38, p = .057, eta(2)(p) = .316) interactions were noted. A trend existed indicating that cortisol levels were decreased acutely for adolescents as shown by a large effect size (Cohen's d= 1.2) vs children (Cohen's d= .01). Out of 17 participants, 12 (71%) provided all 4 cortisol samples with only 2 (10%) participants refusing to provide any samples. Conclusions The cortisol collection protocol was feasible in a community setting of youth with ASD. Future studies should recruit larger samples of children to better explore the efficacy of judo and other physical activity on subjective and objective measures of stress in a larger sample of this population.