Low physical fitness is associated with reduced physical activity and increased cardiovascular diseases. To date, limited research has compared physical fitness levels between children with and without autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Therefore, the primary aim was to investigate if differences in fitness levels exist between children with ASD and age-matched neurotypically developing children (ND). The second aim was to examine if age, sex, height and weight could be used to predict potential fitness levels. The third aim was to examine if the developmental trajectory of fitness is comparable between children with ASD and ND children. The modified Eurofit test battery was used to compare fitness levels between 244 children aged 4–13 years old (n = 152 ND and n = 92 ASD). Independent samples t tests and regression analyses were used to investigate differences in fitness levels between the two groups. The results indicated that statistically significant differences exist in fitness levels between children with ASD when compared to ND children across all ages, favoring the ND children, with small to large effect sizes noted (p < 0.05, d = 0.36–1.13). Regression analysis could not accurately predict fitness measurements in children with ASD but could for ND children. The developmental trajectories were significantly delayed on the 20 m sprint and standing broad jump for children with ASD when compared to ND children. Future studies should seek to address the disparities in physical fitness experienced by children with ASD by using relevant neuromuscular interventions.

中文翻译：

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自闭症谱系障碍小学生与同龄神经典型发育儿童健康水平的比较

体能低下与体力活动减少和心血管疾病增加有关。迄今为止，有限的研究比较了患有和不患有自闭症谱系障碍 (ASD) 的儿童的身体健康水平。因此，主要目的是调查 ASD 儿童与年龄匹配的神经典型发育儿童 (ND) 之间是否存在健康水平差异。第二个目的是检查是否可以使用年龄、性别、身高和体重来预测潜在的健康水平。第三个目的是检查 ASD 儿童和 ND 儿童的健康发展轨迹是否具有可比性。改良的 Eurofit 测试组用于比较 244 名 4-13 岁儿童（n  = 152 ND 和n = 92 ASD）。独立样本t检验和回归分析用于调查两组之间健康水平的差异。结果表明，与所有年龄段的 ND 儿童相比，ASD 儿童的健康水平存在统计学显着差异，有利于 ND 儿童，注意到从小到大的影响大小（p  < 0.05，d = 0.36–1.13）。回归分析无法准确预测 ASD 儿童的健康测量，但可以预测 ND 儿童的健康测量。与 ND 儿童相比，ASD 儿童的 20 m 冲刺和站立跳远的发育轨迹显着延迟。未来的研究应寻求通过使用相关的神经肌肉干预来解决 ASD 儿童在身体健康方面的差异。