John Ratey's book relating behaviours to exercise

I caught a small part of this short documentary on CBC lastnight which shows good outcomes in students with ADHD/ADD and other behavioural issues in a school setting and the use of daily physical excercise.  The theory comes from Dr. John Ratey, a doctor and professor at Harvard Medical school, and showed compelling evidence from a school program in the US as well as one recently instituted here in Canada.

As I watched my attention turned, as it usually does, to can some of the principles being used here apply to autism?  I think the answer is an obvious YES.  Not only would the exercise help with the many sensory needs (perhaps this is a major part of the positive impact) but the result is increased attention, calm, and reduced bad behaviours.

A very brief search on Pubmed did not turn up anything specific to exercise and ASD, but I will keep looking and I may see if I can pick up Dr. Ratey’s book.  It seems like there really is nothing to lose.

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