Efeitos do exercício físico lúdico no desempenho motor e variabilidade da frequência cardíaca em crianças com Transtorno do Espectro Autista

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the effects of an intervention involving playful physical exercises on motor performance and heart rate variability (HRV) in children with Level 1 Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), aged 6 to 10 years, participants in an Inclusive Physical Education extension project. This is a field research with a cross-sectional design and a quantitative approach. The sample consisted of seven children, divided into an experimental group (EG), n=5, who participated in the intervention for one year with a frequency of twice a week, and a control group (CG), n=2, who did not participate in the activities. The study followed ethical principles and was approved under opinion no. 6.991.137 (CEP/UEMA). Motor performance was assessed using the Test of Gross Motor Development 3 Second Edition (TGMD-2), while HRV was analyzed using linear methods in the time and frequency domains, with a Polar V800 device. Inclusion criteria included an ASD diagnosis, school enrollment, and participation in the project; children who did not complete the tests were excluded. Data were analyzed using Jamovi software, applying Student’s t-test and Fisher’s Exact Test, with a significance level of 5%. Results showed that although the EG demonstrated better motor performance and greater parasympathetic autonomic modulation compared to the CG, these differences were not statistically significant. Percentage analysis showed that 100% of the control group was classified as <very poor= in motor performance, while the experimental group was distributed among the categories <very poor,= <poor,= and <below average.= Regarding HRV, the values of RMSSD, pNN50, and LF/HF indicated a trend toward lower physiological stress in the EG. These findings suggest initial positive effects of the intervention, although not statistically robust, possibly due to the small sample size. The literature suggests that protocols with higher weekly frequency, prolonged duration, and controlled intensity tend to produce more significant results in motor and physiological aspects in children with ASD. It is concluded that the physical intervention showed favorable trends toward improvement in motor performance and autonomic modulation in children with ASD, highlighting the need for future studies with larger samples, controlled activity intensity and duration, and longitudinal assessments to further investigate the effects of physical exercise on neuromotor and hemodynamic aspects in individuals with ASD