Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsAutism-Friendly OptionsMore Difficult SportsSchool and RecreationalNon-Team SportsJust-For-Fun Sports
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Autism-Friendly Options
More Difficult Sports
School and Recreational
Non-Team Sports
Just-For-Fun Sports
Some sports can be challenging forautistic kids. That doesn’t mean autistic children should stay away from physical activity, but it is important to help your child to choose sports in which they can excel and that they are likely to enjoy.
This article presents some sports options that offer benefits to autistic children, as well as some sports you may wish to avoid. It also lists some just-for-fun options you can enjoy with your child.
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Team Sports for Autistic Kids
Not every team sport requires high-level communication and cooperation—and many can include an individual athlete as a valued team member. Here are some of the top team sports that could be a great match for your autistic child:
Swimming is a wonderful sport for kids who have a tough time with ball-handling skills. Autistic children can do well with basic strokes and typical water play, while enjoying a sport that allows for individual competition.
Track and field may be a terrific outlet, too. Track events require fewer communication skills than most team sports, yet kids who excel at track are valued team members.
Even though it’s loud, bowling seems to be a natural sport for many autistic kids. Perhaps it’s the highly predictable repetition, but whatever the reasons, bowling is a great sport for social events and bowling leagues are often welcoming to autistic kids.
Team Sports That May Be a Poor Match
While there are always exceptions to the rule, cooperative team sports such as soccer, basketball, lacrosse, and hockey may be particularly tough for an autistic child. That’s because:
All that said, however, many groups are eager to provide autistic children with opportunities to take part in team sports “just like everyone else.”
Be aware that sports organized with autistic children in mind are not always a good lead-in to organized sports forneurotypicalchildren. They are more about social engagement and exercise than about athletic skill-building.
What Does ‘Neurotypical’ Mean?
School and Recreational Sports
Young children of all abilities are typically included in school and recreational sports if they are capable of following instructions and interacting appropriately with team members.
If this describes your child, they may be included with little or no problem, at least until the age when sports become competitive. If your child has a hard time following instructions or interacting appropriately, however, you may need to provide 1:1 support.
Once tryouts become part of the mix in school sports, even autistic kids with low support needs may find it hard to make the cut.
It will be up to you and your child to decide whether this type of participation is a plus or minus; some youngsters love it, while others feel uncomfortable being the team “mascot.”
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Non-Team Sport Options
There is a whole world of non-team sports out there—and autistic children can and do take part in many of them. Skiing, surfing, sailing, and much more can be a great match for your child, especially if your family enjoys them.
While you can choose any non-team sport, however, these are some of the most popular among autistic folks.
Horseback Riding
Horseback riding is pricey. That aside, though, it’s a terrific sport for autistic kids. In fact, many autistic kids ride horses as a therapeutic activity (as such it’s termedhippotherapy).
It’s not unusual for autistic kids to find it easier to communicate with animals than with people and many autistic children excel at horsemanship.
Hiking and Fishing
For many autistic people, the peace and quiet of the natural world is a great stress reliever. Hiking, which can be an individual or group activity, is an easy way to get exercise and enjoy nature without the pressure of intense social communication.
Fishing is another sport that may be of interest to an autistic person who enjoys the natural world.
Biking
Bike riding can be tough for autistic kids, since balance may not come naturally.Once the basic skills are mastered, though, cycling can be a wonderful way to enjoy the outdoors.
Like most of the sports described above, cycling can be enjoyed alone or in a group, just for fun or competitively. If your child enjoys the idea of biking and does well with training wheels, but finds a two-wheeler tricky, you may want to consider an adult trike, a tandem, or just sticking with the training wheels.
Martial Arts
The martial arts—karate, judo,taekwondo,aikido, and more—combine the elements of predictability and structure with the challenges of physical interaction with other people.
For many autistic kids, martial arts are a wonderful way to build physical skills along with self-esteem.
Just-For-Fun and Exercise Sports
Whether you’re shooting baskets, tossing the ball back and forth, or learning to skate, you’ll be building both physical and social skills if you do it together.
In the long run, it’s experiences like shooting hoops together (even when the hoop is lowered) that help build parent-child connections.
If you’re just concerned with getting your child to exercise, here are a few options to consider:
Summary
An autistic child has options for playing sports, including team sports like swimming that create space for individual focus and effort. Whether bowling indoors or horseback riding in an outdoor setting, autistic kids can experience the benefits of both play and exercise.
Not all sports are autism-friendly, though. Team sports like basketball or hockey require high degrees of communication, coordination, and a shared focus on a ball or puck to make the play. Some children may enjoy being part of the team and choose a role that’s not on the field.
Finding activities that are just for fun, like tossing a ball back and forth, can be a great way to get exercise while spending time together.
5 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Paquet A, Olliac B, Bouvard MP, Golse B, Vaivre-Douret L.The semiology of motor disorders in autism spectrum disorders as highlighted from a standardized neuro-psychomotor assessment.Front Psychol. 2016;7:1292. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2016.01292Kilroy E, Aziz-Zadeh L, Cermak S.Ayres theories of autism and sensory integration revisited: What contemporary neuroscience has to say.Brain Sci. 2019 Mar 21;9(3):68. doi:10.3390/brainsci9030068Nowell SW, Watson LR, Boyd B, Klinger LG.Efficacy study of a social communication and self-regulation intervention for school-age children with autism spectrum disorder: A randomized controlled trial.Lang Speech Hear Serv Sch. 2019;50(3):416-433. doi:10.1044/2019_LSHSS-18-0093Gabriels RL, et al.Long-term effect of therapeutic horseback riding in youth with autism spectrum disorder: a randomized trial.Front Vet Sci. 2018 Jul 16;5:156. doi:10.3389/fvets.2018.00156.Stins JF, Emck C.Balance performance in autism: A brief overview.Front Psychol. 2018 Jun 5;9:901. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2018.00901
5 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Paquet A, Olliac B, Bouvard MP, Golse B, Vaivre-Douret L.The semiology of motor disorders in autism spectrum disorders as highlighted from a standardized neuro-psychomotor assessment.Front Psychol. 2016;7:1292. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2016.01292Kilroy E, Aziz-Zadeh L, Cermak S.Ayres theories of autism and sensory integration revisited: What contemporary neuroscience has to say.Brain Sci. 2019 Mar 21;9(3):68. doi:10.3390/brainsci9030068Nowell SW, Watson LR, Boyd B, Klinger LG.Efficacy study of a social communication and self-regulation intervention for school-age children with autism spectrum disorder: A randomized controlled trial.Lang Speech Hear Serv Sch. 2019;50(3):416-433. doi:10.1044/2019_LSHSS-18-0093Gabriels RL, et al.Long-term effect of therapeutic horseback riding in youth with autism spectrum disorder: a randomized trial.Front Vet Sci. 2018 Jul 16;5:156. doi:10.3389/fvets.2018.00156.Stins JF, Emck C.Balance performance in autism: A brief overview.Front Psychol. 2018 Jun 5;9:901. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2018.00901
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Paquet A, Olliac B, Bouvard MP, Golse B, Vaivre-Douret L.The semiology of motor disorders in autism spectrum disorders as highlighted from a standardized neuro-psychomotor assessment.Front Psychol. 2016;7:1292. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2016.01292Kilroy E, Aziz-Zadeh L, Cermak S.Ayres theories of autism and sensory integration revisited: What contemporary neuroscience has to say.Brain Sci. 2019 Mar 21;9(3):68. doi:10.3390/brainsci9030068Nowell SW, Watson LR, Boyd B, Klinger LG.Efficacy study of a social communication and self-regulation intervention for school-age children with autism spectrum disorder: A randomized controlled trial.Lang Speech Hear Serv Sch. 2019;50(3):416-433. doi:10.1044/2019_LSHSS-18-0093Gabriels RL, et al.Long-term effect of therapeutic horseback riding in youth with autism spectrum disorder: a randomized trial.Front Vet Sci. 2018 Jul 16;5:156. doi:10.3389/fvets.2018.00156.Stins JF, Emck C.Balance performance in autism: A brief overview.Front Psychol. 2018 Jun 5;9:901. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2018.00901
Paquet A, Olliac B, Bouvard MP, Golse B, Vaivre-Douret L.The semiology of motor disorders in autism spectrum disorders as highlighted from a standardized neuro-psychomotor assessment.Front Psychol. 2016;7:1292. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2016.01292
Kilroy E, Aziz-Zadeh L, Cermak S.Ayres theories of autism and sensory integration revisited: What contemporary neuroscience has to say.Brain Sci. 2019 Mar 21;9(3):68. doi:10.3390/brainsci9030068
Nowell SW, Watson LR, Boyd B, Klinger LG.Efficacy study of a social communication and self-regulation intervention for school-age children with autism spectrum disorder: A randomized controlled trial.Lang Speech Hear Serv Sch. 2019;50(3):416-433. doi:10.1044/2019_LSHSS-18-0093
Gabriels RL, et al.Long-term effect of therapeutic horseback riding in youth with autism spectrum disorder: a randomized trial.Front Vet Sci. 2018 Jul 16;5:156. doi:10.3389/fvets.2018.00156.
Stins JF, Emck C.Balance performance in autism: A brief overview.Front Psychol. 2018 Jun 5;9:901. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2018.00901
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