Let's Play: Advancing the motor perspective in autism with benefits of active play in school.

Motor impairments in autistic children are a well-established domain associated with low levels of physical activity, high rates of obesity and sedentary behaviour, and, interestingly, impairments in additional developmental domains including social, emotional, and cognitive ones. Despite the cascading effects of motor impairments on autistic child's developmental trajectory and health, surprisingly, school-based interventions aiming at improving the motor perspective in autism remain understudied. This research project aims to develop, examine, and implement in Scottish primary schools "Let's Play", an active play intervention that improves autistic children's motor skills with impact extending to social and behavioural skills, academic achievement, and mental health. Let's Play will be based on the Special Olympics programme "Young Athletes" and "AllPlay" award-winning Australian model of inclusion for autistic children. The effectiveness of Let's Play on children's motor skills will be measured using state of the art wearable motion sensors and its impact on social and behavioural skills, academic achievement, and mental health will be examined with validated instruments. Let's Play will introduce to Scottish primary schools a novel vehicle to promote physical activity in autistic children. Given the detrimental impact of the COVID pandemic on this population, an intervention encouraging physical activity is now more important than ever. Yet, Let's Play is much more than an intervention promoting physical health. It can serve as a means to Build Back Better and more inclusive educational systems where every autistic child will have the opportunity to reach their full potential.