Parents from Sergipe highlight the evolution of children with autism after regular physical activity | Sergipe

Regular physical activity has contributed to the development of autistic children, especially in motor, affective, social and cognitive development. The assessment is from parents and experts from Sergipe, who this Tuesday, April 2, Autism Awareness Day, highlight the importance of maintaining a healthy routine among children.

Kátia de Araújo Carmo, mother of little Noé Carmo Hora, five years old, says that after the stimuli from ‘functional kids’, her son improved in several aspects. According to her, the benefits were observed in body posture, mood, interaction with colleagues at school and family, in addition to improvements in general disposition and immunity. Therefore, self-esteem was also positively affected.

“I noticed an improvement in speech prosody, ideation and action planning, fine and gross motor coordination, resulting in high self-esteem. There are countless factors that contribute to the immeasurable gain that Noah is experiencing, such as body recognition, development of imitation, stimulation of symbolic play and emotional expressiveness, which are such precious characteristics for children who are within the autistic spectrum, giftedness. and other associated comorbidities”, he said.

According to speech therapist Lara Lyss Barreto, autistic people who practice physical activities, in addition to reducing idleness, improve their capacity for initiative, developing social interaction skillswhich results in a great improvement in communication.

“Autistic people can benefit greatly from sports that are linked to a community, collaborative sports, that work and exercise in groups. Within my therapeutic approach, I really believe in this construction of language, communication and social interaction based on experiences , experiences, relationships and affections that circulate the life of each subject”, he explained.

Malu, 14 years old, who has been practicing physical exercises for just over a month, has also shown an improvement in interacting with other people. “She is interacting very well, asking and talking. Maria Luísa has hypotonia [tensão dos músculos] and the exercises are helping a lot. At home, she is more active and willing than before the exercises, when I was very still, just on the couch. We are very happy about this”, celebrates mother Danielle Gonçalves.

For physical educator Victor Carvalho Santos, any physical activity that children practice will help them control their strength, sense of space, as well as increasing autonomy and even self-esteem.

“We work in groups with functional exercises, encouraging the child to have greater confidence and social interaction and working hard on fine and gross motor coordination with exercises that they will take into their daily lives, creating much more independence, beyond what it requires a lot of focus and attention.”

Physical education teacher, Flávia Matos, also highlighted the importance of physical activity. “It is also an effective way to manage weight and promote cardiovascular healththus reducing the risk of health problems associated with overweight and obesity, which are more common in children with autism, improving sleep quality and increasing the ability to concentrate and learn”, he added.