Physical therapy may be an intervention for children with autism who: need to develop motor skills according to their age, have low muscle tone, have an incorrect posture, deficits in coordination and control of breathing. Physiotherapy can also help children with autism to reduce their stereotypical movements and hyperkinetic behaviors (attention deficit, impulsivity, hyperactivity). Physiotherapy aims to develop gross motor skills and finesse, developing the ability to perceive, orient and organize spatio-temporal, the formation of the correct perception of the body scheme, the education of verticality and the mechanisms of motor control, stability and balance, but also the improvement or correction of already existing skills, but insufficiently or poorly developed.
Also, in physiotherapy there are activities that involve sensory integration, improving attention and ability to concentrate and developing the ability to stay in physical activity for as long as possible. Therefore, physiotherapy improves the ability to understand and respond to different activities, but also of the interaction and the establishment of the visual contact and helps to diminish the characteristic stereotypes, as well as of the hyperkinetic behavior.
The day center of the Saint Casian Association has a very well equipped physiotherapy room, in which the physiotherapy exercises take place in the form of hours of play, gymnastics, effort and relaxation, maintaining the motivation and desire of children to return to therapy. .
Movement therapy for children improves their ability to understand and respond to different activities, but also to improve interaction and establish eye contact. At the same time, the movement for children with autism helps to reduce aggression and self-aggression, characteristic stereotypes, as well as hyperkinetic behavior.
Physical therapy is necessary and has the following objectives:
• muscle toning;
• improving joint mobility and coordination of movements;
• development of general, gross and fine motor skills;
• education of static and dynamic balance;
• educating the rhythm and coordination of movements;
• spatio-temporal orientation and organization;
• correct awareness of the body scheme.
Through specific methods he learns how to relax, he learns to increase his power of concentration, coordination and attention, as well as the desire to move. The complex programs of therapeutic exercises are composed individually according to the evolution of each child.