Brief Report: Preliminary Efficacy of a Judo Program to Promote Participation in Physical Activity in Youth with Autism Spectrum Disorder

To examine the preliminary efficacy of an 8-week judo program to promote moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and reduce sedentary behavior (SB) in youth with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Fourteen children diagnosed with ASD participated in a weekly judo program over a period of 8 weeks. Participants wore an Actigraph accelerometer to measure activity levels at baseline and post-judo. All 14 children attended at least 75% of the 8 judo classes. Percentage of time spent in daily MVPA (8% vs 4%, p = 0.05) increased following the intervention. A high rate of participation and an increase in time spent in MVPA was observed following the 8-week program. Further research to examine causal mechanisms is warranted.