Why are Gross Motor and Physiotherapy Supports important for people with an Autism diagnosis?

People with an Autism diagnosis often have co-occurring conditions that impact physical development. Some examples are: Global Developmental Delay, Developmental Coordination Disorder (formally known as Dyspraxia), Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, specific learning difficulties (and many more).

By definition Autism is a neuro-developmental disability, and Autistic individuals often experience fatigue due to poor core strength, difficulties with bilateral movements, balance, hand-eye coordination, and poor hand strength. Individuals' sensory differences can impact how their bodies process physical movement. As with any area requiring development, practice is required. Autistic individuals may also need to activate their vestibular and proprioceptive sensory systems as a way of accessing emotional and behavioural regulation strategies which they would not otherwise need if they did not have a disability.

Just as a child with dyslexia may need to read a word hundreds more times than a non-dyslexic child in order to master fluency in reading that word, some individuals with Autism require tools to support physical development due to their disability, so that they can implement the extra practice required for them to reach their potential.