Neurodiversity Friendly Movement: Exercise Without Overload

You may genuinely want to move more and still find exercise almost impossible to begin.

The movement itself might be manageable. Getting changed, choosing an activity, finding equipment, travelling somewhere and entering a loud unfamiliar space may not be.

Perhaps you begin an ambitious programme, enjoy the intensity for two weeks and then stop completely after pain, overload or exhaustion catches up. Perhaps school sport taught you that movement meant humiliation, comparison and being watched.

Neurodiversity friendly movement does not remove effort or pretend that physical activity has no health value. It asks a more useful question:

💬 “What would make movement accessible, repeatable and safe enough for this particular person?”

🧩 What Neurodiversity Friendly Movement Means

Neurodiversity friendly movement is an approach to physical activity that considers how attention, sensory processing, motor coordination, interoception, executive functioning and fluctuating capacity affect participation.

It does not refer to one special exercise programme.

A neurodivergent person might choose:

🚶 walking
🏊 swimming
🏋️ strength training
💃 dancing
🚴 cycling
🧘 mobility or stretching
🥊 martial arts
🌳 hiking
🪑 seated movement
🧹 active household work
🎮 movement based games
👐 repetitive self regulating movement

The activity matters less than the match between the person, the goal and the conditions.

A movement plan becomes more accessible when it allows:

🎛️ control over sensory input
📋 fewer executive steps
⏳ flexible duration
🪜 gradual progression
🌿 adequate recovery
🤝 support without surveillance
🧠 clear instructions
🚪 permission to stop or adapt
❤️ goals that are not based only on appearance

The purpose may be fitness, mobility, enjoyment, social connection, energy, strength or health management.

Movement does not need to feel calming to count. It does not need to resemble sport, take place in a gym or produce visible achievement.

🔗 Exercise Is a Chain, Not One Activity

“Go for a run” sounds like one task.

The full sequence may include:

🌦️ checking the weather
👕 finding tolerable clothing
👟 locating suitable shoes
🥤 preparing water
📱 choosing music or a route
🔄 stopping the current activity
🚪 leaving the house
👥 navigating other people
🏃 completing the movement
🚿 managing sweat, temperature and washing
🍽️ eating afterward
🪫 recovering before the next responsibility

Any link can become the main barrier.

This explains why advice focused only on motivation often fails. The person may be willing to move but unable to complete the surrounding chain reliably.

An accessible plan identifies which link needs support.

For example:

📌 If clothing is the barrier, prepare one tolerable movement outfit.
📌 If decisions are the barrier, create two default activities.
📌 If leaving home is the barrier, use an indoor option.
📌 If washing afterward is the barrier, choose movement that produces less heat or sweat.
📌 If transition is the barrier, place a brief movement block between two existing activities.

Reducing one source of friction can matter more than increasing determination.

🎧 Sensory Barriers Can Begin Before Movement

Typical exercise environments contain substantial sensory input.

A gym may include:

🔊 loud music and metal equipment
💡 bright overhead lighting
👃 sweat, perfume and cleaning products
👥 unpredictable movement nearby
🪞 mirrors and visual monitoring
🌡️ heat and changing body temperature
🧵 restrictive or synthetic clothing
🫀 intense heartbeat and breathing sensations

A swimming pool adds echoes, chlorine, wet clothing, cold transitions and communal changing areas.

Outdoor movement can involve traffic, wind, sunlight, insects, uneven surfaces and unpredictable encounters.

The activity may therefore be physically suitable while the environment is inaccessible.

Useful sensory changes can include:

🎧 controlled music, earplugs or quieter hours
🧢 a cap or tinted lenses outdoors
👕 familiar clothing without painful seams or waistbands
🏠 home based movement
🚪 a clear exit route
🪑 equipment positioned away from busy walkways
🌡️ shorter sessions to limit temperature discomfort
🧴 fragrance free spaces where available

Reducing environmental input is not cheating. It can make the intended physical demand possible.

⚡ ADHD, Interest and the Difficulty of Repetition

Exercise advice often assumes that repetition gradually becomes automatic.

For many adults with ADHD, repeated routines can become harder once novelty disappears. The activity remains beneficial but stops producing enough immediate attention or interest to compete with other demands.

The pattern may involve:

🔥 intense enthusiasm for a new activity
🛒 purchasing equipment or creating a detailed plan
📅 completing several ambitious sessions
🌫️ losing interest when the process becomes familiar
🪞 interpreting the change as personal failure
🚪 abandoning movement until another new plan appears

This does not mean consistency is impossible.

It may mean consistency needs variation within a stable structure.

For example:

🧭 keep the same movement window but rotate the activity
🎧 use different playlists with the same walking route
🏋️ use a small selection of strength sessions rather than one fixed routine
🌳 alternate indoor and outdoor options
🤝 sometimes move alone and sometimes with another person
🎯 choose a weekly movement goal rather than identical daily sessions

Novelty can support participation without requiring a complete reinvention every month.

🚪 Executive Functioning Can Block the Start

Exercise requires planning, initiation, time estimation, remembering, switching and sequencing.

You may know that movement often helps once it begins while remaining unable to initiate it.

The barrier can be especially strong when:

📋 the activity has many steps
❓ you need to invent a workout
🔄 you are already engaged in something else
⏳ the available time feels unclear
🎒 equipment is stored out of sight
😣 earlier failed plans have added shame
🪫 capacity is already low

The solution is not always a smaller workout. Sometimes the start needs to become more concrete.

Compare:

💬 “I should exercise today.”

with:

💬 “After my morning drink, I will put on one song and walk around the block. I can stop when the song ends.”

The second version provides a cue, activity, duration and stopping point.

Read Task Initiation Difficulty when knowing what would help does not reliably produce the first action.

🫀 Interoception Can Make Pacing Difficult

Movement creates internal sensations:

💓 faster heartbeat
🌬️ heavier breathing
🌡️ heat
🦵 muscular effort
💧 thirst
⚡ activation
😴 fatigue

Some neurodivergent adults notice these signals intensely. Others notice them late or find them difficult to interpret.

A person may stop early because normal exertion feels alarming. Another may continue long after technique, hydration or energy has deteriorated because warning signals are not entering awareness clearly.

Delayed signals can contribute to a cycle:

🏃 movement feels manageable during the session
🔥 intensity increases
😶 fatigue is not recognised
🪫 capacity drops later
🛏️ the person crashes for the rest of the day or longer
🚪 future movement begins to feel unsafe

Pacing may therefore need external information alongside body awareness:

⏰ predetermined time limits
🗣️ the ability to speak during moderate activity
🥤 planned fluid breaks
📋 a simple written sequence
🪜 gradual changes rather than large jumps
🌿 checking how you feel later, not only during the activity

Interoception and Neurodivergence explains why body signals may be intense, faint or difficult to label.

🧍 Coordination and Motor Confidence Matter

Some neurodivergent adults experience coordination, balance, motor planning or body position difficulties.

They may need more time to:

🦶 learn a movement sequence
🧭 orient themselves within a class
⚖️ maintain balance
🤲 judge force
🔄 coordinate several body parts
👀 copy an instructor while processing verbal directions

These differences can affect safety and confidence.

A group instructor may demonstrate once and expect everyone to follow. The neurodivergent participant may still be identifying where their feet should go while the class has moved to the next sequence.

Movement becomes more accessible when instruction includes:

👁️ a clear visual demonstration
🗣️ concise verbal information
🔁 repetition
🐢 permission to move more slowly
🧩 one component at a time
🪞 options that do not depend on copying through mirrors
🤝 individual guidance with consent

Coordination difficulty is not lack of intelligence or effort.

A physiotherapist or occupational therapist may help when motor planning, balance, injury risk or pain significantly limits participation.

💔 Movement Can Carry a History of Shame

Many neurodivergent adults learned about exercise through school sport.

Their memories may include:

😣 being selected last
📣 public correction
🧩 difficulty following game rules quickly
🎯 balls moving unpredictably towards them
🪞 comparison with more coordinated peers
👕 uncomfortable uniforms
👥 changing rooms and social exposure
🏆 movement being valued only through competition

The body may now be associated with failure and observation.

Adult fitness culture can repeat the same themes through mirrors, measurements, transformation photographs and instructions to push through discomfort.

Avoidance may therefore protect someone from more than physical effort. It may protect them from an established expectation of humiliation.

Rebuilding movement confidence often works better through privacy, autonomy and achievable experiences than through aggressive motivation.

The first positive goal might be:

💬 “I moved in a way that did not make me feel judged.”

That is a meaningful foundation.

⚖️ Movement Is Not Automatically Regulating

Movement is often described as a regulation tool.

It can help some people shift attention, discharge restlessness, feel more present in the body or change emotional intensity.

It can also increase overload.

Movement may be unhelpful when:

🔥 the person is already highly activated
🌡️ heat and heartbeat sensations are difficult to tolerate
🎧 the environment adds too much input
🪫 the session exceeds available capacity
🩺 pain or illness is being ignored
🏆 exercise is driven by punishment or compulsion
🌙 intense activity worsens sleep
📉 the recovery cost exceeds the benefit

A fast run may help one person settle. Another person may become more agitated, dizzy or overstimulated.

Gentle stretching may feel grounding for one person and frustratingly underactivating for another.

The word regulation should describe the observed outcome, not the activity’s reputation.

Ask:

💬 “What happens during the movement, immediately afterward and several hours later?”

🔬 What Research Currently Supports

🟢 Reasonably supported: Physical activity has broad health benefits for adults, including adults living with disability or chronic conditions. Public health guidelines emphasise that some activity is better than none and that recommendations should be adapted to ability and health circumstances (World Health Organization, 2020).

🟢 Reasonably supported: Autistic adults report lower participation and more barriers than comparison groups in several studies. Identified barriers include transport, cost, boredom, inaccessible environments, limited suitable opportunities and insufficient support (Hillier et al., 2020; Healy et al., 2022).

🟢 Reasonably supported: Autistic adults recommend choice, welcoming providers, clear information, sensory access and opportunities designed with autistic people rather than merely for them. These findings come largely from surveys and qualitative studies rather than large intervention trials (Blagrave et al., 2021).

🟡 Promising but limited: Exercise interventions for autistic young adults may support physical fitness, some functional outcomes and wellbeing, but studies are few, samples are often small and interventions vary considerably (Shahane et al., 2024).

🟡 Promising but limited: Small studies of adults with ADHD suggest that a single period of aerobic exercise may temporarily improve aspects of attention or processing speed. A recent 12 week trial also reported improved ADHD symptoms and body awareness, but participant numbers were modest and dropout was substantial (Mehren et al., 2019; Axelsson Svedell et al., 2025, 2026).

🟡 Still developing: A 2026 review found preliminary evidence that acute and ongoing exercise may improve executive functions and core symptoms in adults with ADHD. The adult evidence remains much smaller than the literature involving children (Xu et al., 2026).

🔴 Unsupported simplification: Exercise is not a proven replacement for ADHD medication, autism support, psychotherapy, sleep, nutrition or medical care. It should not be promised as a universal method for regulating a neurodivergent nervous system.

Research supports access to movement. It does not establish one best exercise type or intensity for all neurodivergent adults.

🧭 Decide What You Want Movement to Do

People are often told to exercise without being asked what outcome matters to them.

Possible goals include:

❤️ supporting cardiovascular health
🏋️ maintaining strength
🦴 supporting bones and joints
🚶 increasing walking tolerance
⚡ creating activation before a task
🌿 reducing accumulated restlessness
🤝 connecting with other people
🎨 playing or exploring
🧍 developing body confidence
🌳 spending time outside
🩺 supporting a particular rehabilitation goal

Different goals require different activities.

A quiet walk may support recovery and outdoor access without substantially building strength. Resistance exercise may support strength without providing the social connection someone wants. A dance class may offer enjoyment but contain too much sensory input.

The movement is not failing because it does not achieve every goal simultaneously.

Define the current purpose before choosing the activity.

🗺️ Create a Personal Movement Profile

A useful movement profile includes more than preferred sports.

Consider the following areas.

🎧 Sensory Conditions

Ask:

🔊 Do I want music, silence or predictable background sound?
💡 Which lighting is tolerable?
🌡️ How do I respond to heat and sweat?
👕 Which clothing allows attention to remain on movement?
👥 How much movement around me can I tolerate?

🧠 Executive Conditions

Ask:

📋 Can I begin without planning a new session?
🎒 How much equipment is involved?
🚪 Does the activity require travel?
⏳ Is the stopping point clear?
🔄 What activity must I stop first?

🤝 Social Conditions

Ask:

🌿 Do I prefer privacy, company or a structured group?
🗣️ Are instructions direct and respectful?
👀 Do I feel watched?
🤝 Can I ask for adaptations without being shamed?
🚪 Can I leave early?

🫀 Body Conditions

Ask:

🦵 Which movements feel stable or painful?
💓 How easily can I interpret exertion?
🪫 What is the delayed recovery cost?
🥤 Do I remember hydration and food?
🌙 How does the activity affect sleep?

The profile can explain why an activity works in one environment and fails in another.

🪫 Use a Capacity Based Movement Menu

One fixed routine may not survive changing capacity.

Create a small menu with several levels.

🌑 Very Low Capacity

The goal is gentle access, comfort or maintaining a small amount of mobility.

Options might include:

🦶 moving ankles or toes while lying down
🙆 rolling the shoulders
👐 pressing hands together
🪑 standing once and sitting again
🧍 leaning into a wall
🌬️ walking briefly around one room
🛏️ changing position intentionally

These actions may be tiny. They are still movement.

They should not be used to pressure someone who needs complete rest.

🌤️ Moderate Capacity

The goal may be a short, repeatable session.

Options could include:

🚶 a familiar walk
🧘 a brief mobility sequence
🏋️ several simple resistance movements
💃 one or two songs of dancing
🧹 active household work
🚴 a short period on a stationary bike
🌳 gentle outdoor movement

⚡ Higher Capacity

The person may want more intensity, skill or duration.

Options might include:

🏊 swimming
🥊 martial arts
🏋️ a longer strength session
🚴 cycling
🏃 running
💃 a class
🥾 a longer walk or hike
🏀 recreational sport

Higher capacity does not require using all available energy.

Stopping with capacity remaining can make the next session easier to approach.

▶️ Make Starting Smaller Than Exercising

When initiation is the main problem, define a first action that is easier than the full activity.

Examples include:

👟 put on the shoes
🎧 start the movement playlist
🧘 place the mat on the floor
🚪 step outside for one minute
🏋️ complete one familiar movement
🚶 walk to a specific nearby point
📺 open the saved movement video

The first action should not secretly commit you to an unlimited session.

You may continue. You may also stop.

This preserves trust in your own movement agreements.

If “five minutes” always turns into pressure to complete forty minutes, the five minute invitation will eventually stop feeling safe.

🎯 Reduce Decisions With Defaults

Prepare a few standard options:

🌧️ indoor option for difficult weather
🌤️ outdoor option for moderate capacity
🪫 two minute option for low capacity
🤝 social option for days when company helps
🎧 quiet option for sensory sensitive days
⚡ stronger option for days when intensity feels good

Save instructions, equipment and routes so that they do not need to be rediscovered.

A useful system is simple enough to survive the days when you need it most.

🏠 Choose the Environment Before Choosing the Exercise

Many people search for the ideal activity first.

For sensory access, the environment may be the more important choice.

Ask:

🏠 Can this happen at home?
🌳 Is there a quieter outdoor route?
🕰️ When is the facility least busy?
🚪 Is leaving straightforward?
👕 Are changing facilities avoidable?
🎵 Can music be adjusted?
🧑‍🏫 Does the instructor explain rather than shame?
📋 Can I learn what will happen in advance?

An ordinary activity in the right environment may be more sustainable than a supposedly perfect workout in an inaccessible one.

👐 Use Proprioceptive Input Deliberately

Movement involving muscles, joints, pressure and resistance provides proprioceptive input.

Examples include:

🧱 pushing against a wall
🏋️ lifting a manageable weight
🛍️ carrying groceries
🧘 using resistance bands
🧹 pushing a vacuum cleaner
🪑 controlled sitting and standing
🌳 climbing or walking uphill

Some neurodivergent adults experience predictable resistance as organising or grounding. Others find it tiring, painful or unpleasant.

Use the observed effect rather than assuming pressure will help.

Read Proprioceptive Input Explained for more ways to test resistance and pressure safely.

🌿 Track Effects, Not Moral Success

Tracking can help reveal patterns.

It can also create compulsive rules, body comparison and all or nothing thinking.

Instead of recording only steps, calories or duration, consider:

🧠 Was concentration easier afterward?
🌡️ Did sensory sensitivity rise or fall?
🫀 Did the intensity feel interpretable?
🌙 What happened to sleep?
🪫 How much recovery was needed?
❤️ Did the activity feel enjoyable, neutral or punishing?
🔁 Would I be willing to repeat this version?

A three minute movement session can be successful when it supports the intended goal.

A long session can be poorly matched when it causes injury, severe depletion or several days of avoidance.

Stop or simplify tracking if it worsens eating disorder thoughts, body shame or compulsive exercise.

🚫 Recognise When Movement Is Backfiring

Warning signs include:

🪫 repeated crashes after sessions
📉 declining functioning across the week
🩹 recurring pain or injury
🌙 worsening sleep
🔥 increased irritability or sensory sensitivity
😰 fear or panic surrounding missed sessions
🍽️ exercising despite inadequate food or hydration
🪞 movement being used mainly to punish the body
🚪 avoiding healthcare because you expect to be told only to exercise
📊 numbers determining self worth

Rest is not a failed workout.

Reducing intensity, changing activity or stopping temporarily may be the responsible response.

🩺 Movement With Pain, Fatigue or Chronic Illness

Neurodivergent adults may also live with chronic pain, joint instability, migraine, dizziness, cardiovascular conditions, fatigue or post viral illness.

Generic instructions to push through can be unsafe.

Movement may need to be:

🪑 seated
🛏️ completed while lying down
🐢 slower
⏳ shorter
🧩 divided across the day
🩺 guided by a relevant clinician
🌿 balanced with substantial recovery
🚫 stopped when warning symptoms appear

Medical assessment is especially important when movement produces:

🚩 chest pain
🚩 fainting or near fainting
🚩 severe or unusual shortness of breath
🚩 new neurological symptoms
🚩 sudden weakness
🚩 significant heart rhythm changes
🚩 severe joint instability
🚩 persistent worsening after minor activity

A physiotherapist, rehabilitation professional or physician should consider the complete health picture rather than assuming inactivity is the main problem.

🤝 How Other People Can Support Movement

Support works best when it increases autonomy.

Helpful support may include:

🚶 joining without setting the pace
📩 sending a simple invitation
🚗 helping with transport
🧠 reducing decisions
🎧 respecting sensory tools
🕰️ accepting shorter participation
🏠 offering an alternative environment
💬 asking what outcome the person wants
🌿 recognising that capacity changes

Less helpful responses include:

❌ “You will feel better once you force yourself.”
❌ “Everyone hates exercise.”
❌ “You were able to do more last week.”
❌ “You need a stricter routine.”
❌ “That does not count as a workout.”

A useful question is:

💬 “Would company, practical help or less pressure make this easier today?”

🪞 Reflection Questions

🏃 Which part of the movement chain creates the greatest barrier: preparation, starting, environment, body sensations or recovery?
🎧 Under which sensory and social conditions does movement feel most accessible?
🌿 Which form of movement would you be willing to repeat even if it produced no visible fitness achievement?

🌱 Conclusion: Sustainable Movement Is Movement You Can Return To

Movement has real health value.

That does not make every exercise environment accessible or every programme appropriate.

For neurodivergent adults, the barrier may occur before the first physical movement. Planning, clothing, travel, noise, coordination, uncertainty and earlier shame can consume the available capacity.

The movement itself may also produce ambiguous body signals. Intensity can feel frightening, arrive late or become difficult to distinguish from overload.

A sustainable approach does not ask you to ignore those factors.

It uses them as design information.

You can reduce decisions, choose predictable input, move privately, use shorter sessions and create options for several capacity levels. You can use external pacing when body signals are unclear and consider recovery part of the activity.

Movement does not need to cure ADHD, autism, anxiety or burnout to be worthwhile.

It may support strength, mobility, health, enjoyment, attention or connection. It may sometimes help you feel more settled and sometimes simply allow you to inhabit your body differently for a few minutes.

You are also allowed not to enjoy exercise.

The goal is not to become a person who loves gyms, tracking or disciplined routines. It is to find forms of physical activity that do not require constant conflict with your sensory profile, executive functioning or health.

The most useful movement plan is not the most impressive one.

It is the one that remains accessible enough to return to, flexible enough to survive changing capacity and respectful enough that your body does not become another project organised through shame.

❓ Frequently Asked Questions

🏃 What is neurodiversity friendly movement?

It is movement designed around the person’s sensory, executive, motor, social and physical needs. It can include ordinary exercise, daily activity, mobility work, play or adapted movement.

⚡ Does exercise improve ADHD symptoms?

Some small adult studies and a recent trial suggest possible benefits for attention, body awareness and self reported symptoms. The evidence remains limited, and exercise should be considered a possible complement rather than a replacement for established treatment.

♾️ What type of exercise is best for autistic adults?

There is no single best type. Autistic adults differ in sensory preferences, coordination, interests, health and social needs. Choice, predictability, accessible environments and respectful instruction may matter more than the exercise category.

🎧 What can I do when gyms cause sensory overload?

Consider quieter times, ear protection, alternative lighting, home exercise, outdoor routes or smaller facilities. The aim is to preserve the physical activity while reducing unrelated environmental barriers.

🚪 Why can I enjoy exercise once I start but still avoid beginning?

Starting requires decisions, transitions, equipment, time estimation and task initiation. These executive demands occur before the potential reward of movement becomes available.

🪫 Does very gentle movement count?

Yes. Gentle movement can support mobility, body awareness or daily functioning. Public health benefits generally increase with activity, but a useful starting point must match your health and current capacity.

🌿 Can exercise make neurodivergent burnout worse?

Movement that exceeds available capacity or adds substantial sensory and logistical load may worsen exhaustion. Gentle movement may suit some people during recovery, while others need more complete rest. Burnout support should be individual.

🩺 When should I speak to a healthcare professional before exercising?

Seek individual guidance when you have significant heart, respiratory, neurological or musculoskeletal conditions, severe fatigue, fainting, unexplained pain or major worsening after activity. New warning symptoms require medical assessment.

🧭 Where to Go Next

🎧 When Sensory Access Is the Main Barrier

Read AuDHD Sensory Processing for sensitivity, seeking, low registration and changing thresholds.

Use Build Your Sensory Support Plan to identify triggers, early warning signs and practical environmental changes.

▶️ When Starting Is Harder Than Moving

Continue with Task Initiation Difficulty for the hidden executive steps before action.

🫀 When Body Signals Are Unclear

Read Interoception and Neurodivergence for fatigue, exertion, hunger, pain and internal body awareness.

Explore Proprioceptive Input Explained for movement involving pressure and resistance.

🪫 When Movement Causes a Delayed Crash

Read Sensory Overload Hangover when the cost appears after the activity has ended.

Visit the Neurodivergent Burnout Learning Hub when baseline capacity has declined across several areas of life.

🧭 When You Need a Broader Foundation

Visit the Neurodiversity Learning Hub for routes through sensory processing, executive functioning, emotional regulation, self care and burnout.

📚 References

📚 Axelsson Svedell, L., Arvidsson Lindvall, M., Lidström Holmqvist, K., Cao, Y., and Msghina, M. (2025). Physical exercise as add on treatment in adults with ADHD: The START study, a randomized controlled trial. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 16, Article 1690216.

📚 Axelsson Svedell, L., Lidström Holmqvist, K., Msghina, M., and Arvidsson Lindvall, M. (2026). Physical exercise and body awareness and movement quality in adults with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: Results from the START randomized controlled trial. Complementary Therapies in Medicine, 98, Article 103372.

📚 Blagrave, A. J., Colombo-Dougovito, A. M., and Healy, S. (2021). “Just Invite Us”: Autistic adults’ recommendations for developing more accessible physical activity opportunities. Autism in Adulthood, 3(2), 179–186.

📚 Healy, S., Brewer, B., Laxton, P., Powers, B., Daly, J., McGuire, J., and Patterson, F. (2022). Brief Report: Perceived barriers to physical activity among a national sample of autistic adults. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 52(10), 4583–4591.

📚 Hillier, A., Buckingham, A., and Schena, D. (2020). Physical activity among adults with autism: Participation, attitudes, and barriers. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 127(5), 874–890.

📚 Mehren, A., Özyurt, J., Lam, A. P., Brandes, M., Müller, H. H. O., Thiel, C. M., and Philipsen, A. (2019). Acute effects of aerobic exercise on executive function and attention in adult patients with ADHD. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 10, Article 132.

📚 Shahane, V., Kilyk, A., and Srinivasan, S. M. (2024). Effects of physical activity and exercise based interventions in young adults with autism spectrum disorder: A systematic review. Autism, 28(2), 276–300.

📚 Tan, J. L. K., Ylä-Kojola, A. M., Eriksson, J. G., and colleagues. (2022). Effect of childhood developmental coordination disorder on adulthood physical activity: Arvo Ylppö longitudinal study. Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports, 32(6), 1050–1063.

📚 World Health Organization. (2020). WHO guidelines on physical activity and sedentary behaviour.

📚 Xu, S., Zhao, C., and Hu, L. (2026). The effects of acute and chronic exercise on executive functions and core symptoms in adults with ADHD: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 84, Article 103088. system is more likely to accept and sustain.