The Temporal Relationships Between 24-h Movement Behaviors Among Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Objectives: Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are less physically active, more sedentary, and have shorter sleep duration than neurotypical children. Epidemiological data show associations between these movement behaviors; however, the temporal relationship between them is not yet known. The current study examined the temporal associations between movement behaviors in 46 children (M_age = 13.36) diagnosed with ASD. Methods: Children wore a wrist accelerometer to measure daytime physical activity, sedentary behavior, and sleep for one weekend (Friday evening to Sunday evening). Regression analyses were used to examine the association between movement behaviors on a given day/night, with movement behaviors on the subsequent day/night. Results: Increased time in sedentary behavior on Saturday was associated with increased sedentary time (p = 0.002), and decreased time in light (p = 0.002)- and moderate-intensity physical activity (p = 0.03) on Sunday. Increased time in light-intensity physical activity on Saturday was associated with decreased time in sedentary behavior (p = 0.01) and increased time in light (p < 0.001)- and moderate-intensity physical activity (p = 0.01) on Sunday. Conclusions: Decreasing sedentary time may help increase next-day physical activity levels in children with ASD. Longitudinal studies to test this hypothesis and examine the mechanisms of these associations are warranted.