We all know that exercise has a beneficial effect on children with ASD, but it is often difficult or disliked by children, especially in the early stages of learning.
Children often refuse to exercise for a variety of reasons.
The coach needs to know and clearly and quickly determine what to do if the child refuses to follow the instructions.

Let's talk about the possible reasons for refusing to perform tasks in the gym:
1. Sensory overload - loud noises in the hall (echo, whistle, voice, clap, equipment hitting the floor), unpleasant equipment surfaces, your touch, sweat, smell can be a lot of stress.
2. The task is not clearly explained.
3. The task is too difficult.
4. The task is too long.
5. The inventory was not selected correctly (weight, surface, etc.).

What a coach should do in such situations:
1. Reduce the speed of the exercise.
2. Reduce or change the amplitude of movement.
3. Eliminate possible risks of sensory overload (change inventory, speak more quietly, dry the child with a towel, calm down, give a drink, breathe, etc., depending on the situation).
4. Simplify verbal instruction.
5. Use additional visual cues.
6. Apply a physical cue (if additional visual support did not help).
7. Split the exercise into large parts (as much as the child needs to understand).

And, most importantly =‼ ️ Reduce the load, but not cancel the task completely‼ ️ In order, thereby, not to reinforce the child's way of avoiding demands.

The coach needs to think and act quickly in such situations, since a child's “refusal” can quickly turn into a meltdown or shutdown.

Training is obtained when, when choosing exercises and their dosage, the trainer takes into account the asynchrony of development of a child with ASD and the level of mental development of the child comes out on top, and not his biological age.

#autfitness #autism #adaptive physical education # afk # mental disorders #autism #adaptivefitness #adaptive sports