Abstract
Objectives
Individuals diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often have increased levels of stress, leading to dysregulated production of cortisol. Participation in activity with a mindfulness component may reduce levels of stress and cortisol in children. The purpose of this study was to examine the feasibility and preliminary effects of a community-based judo program on cortisol levels in youth with ASD.
Methods
Seventeen participants completed the judo program. Twelve were included in the final analysis. Participants were split into age groups: children (n = 5; 8–12 years) and adolescents (n = 7; 13–17 years). A standardized protocol was developed through a collaboration between researchers and families of participants to collect the salivary cortisol samples. Changes in acute (before/after one judo session) and chronic (week 1/week 10) salivary cortisol levels between age groups were assessed using repeated measures.
Results
No significant chronic × age (F(1,10) = .046, p = .456, ηp2 = .057) or acute × age (F(1, 10) = 4.38, p = .057, ηp2 = .316) interactions were noted. A trend existed indicating that cortisol levels were decreased acutely for adolescents as shown by a large effect size (Cohen’s d = 1.2) vs children (Cohen’s d = .01). Out of 17 participants, 12 (71%) provided all 4 cortisol samples with only 2 (10%) participants refusing to provide any samples.
Conclusions
The cortisol collection protocol was feasible in a community setting of youth with ASD. Future studies should recruit larger samples of children to better explore the efficacy of judo and other physical activity on subjective and objective measures of stress in a larger sample of this population.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Bahrami, F., Movahedi, A., Marandi, S. M., & Abedi, A. (2012). Kata techniques training consistently decreases stereotypy in children with autism spectrum disorder. Research in Developmental Disabilities, 33(4), 1183–1193. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ridd.2012.01.018
Butzer, B., Day, D., Potts, A., Ryan, C., Coulombe, S., Davies, B., Weidknecht, K., Ebert, M., Flynn, L., & Khalsa, S. B. S. (2015). Effects of a classroom-based yoga intervention on cortisol and behavior in second- and third-grade students: A pilot study. Journal of Evidence-Based Complementary & Alternative Medicine, 20(1), 41–49. https://doi.org/10.1177/2156587214557695
CDC. (2018, April 26). Data and Statistics | Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) | NCBDDD | CDC. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/data.html
Cohen, J. (1992). A power primer. Psychological Bulletin, 112(1), 155–159. https://doi.org/10.1037//0033-2909.112.1.155
Corbett, B. A., Mendoza, S., Abdullah, M., Wegelin, J. A., & Levine, S. (2006). Cortisol circadian rhythms and response to stress in children with autism. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 31(1), 59–68. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psyneuen.2005.05.011
Corbett, B. A., Schupp, C. W., Levine, S., & Mendoza, S. (2009). Comparing cortisol, stress, and sensory sensitivity in children with autism. Autism Research, 2(1), 39–49. https://doi.org/10.1002/aur.64
Corbett, B. A., Schupp, C. W., Simon, D., Ryan, N., & Mendoza, S. (2010). Elevated cortisol during play is associated with age and social engagement in children with autism. Molecular Autism, 1, 13. https://doi.org/10.1186/2040-2392-1-13
Corbett, B., & Simon, D. (2013). Adolescence, stress and cortisol in autism spectrum disorders. OA Autism, 1(1). https://doi.org/10.13172/2052-7810-1-1-348
Crompton, C. J., Hallett, S., Ropar, D., Flynn, E., & Fletcher-Watson, S. (2020). ‘I never realised everybody felt as happy as I do when I am around autistic people’: A thematic analysis of autistic adults’ relationships with autistic and neurotypical friends and family. Autism, 24(6), 1438–1448. https://doi.org/10.1177/1362361320908976
Fraser, R., Ingram, M. C., Anderson, N. H., Morrison, C., Davies, E., & Connell, J. M. (1999). Cortisol effects on body mass, blood pressure, and cholesterol in the general population. Hypertension, 33(6), 1364–1368.
Garcia, J. M., Leahy, N., Rivera, P., Renziehausen, J., Samuels, J., Fukuda, D. H., & Stout, J. R. (2019). Brief Report: Preliminary efficacy of a judo program to promote participation in physical activity in youth with autism spectrum disorder. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 50(4), 1418–1424. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-019-04338-w
Hanrahan, K., McCarthy, A. M., Kleiber, C., Lutgendorf, S., & Tsalikian, E. (2006). Strategies for salivary cortisol collection and analysis in research with children. Applied Nursing Research, 19(2), 95–101. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apnr.2006.02.001
Hill, E. E., Zack, E., Battaglini, C., Viru, M., Viru, A., & Hackney, A. C. (2008). Exercise and circulating Cortisol levels: The intensity threshold effect. Journal of Endocrinological Investigation, 31(7), 587–591. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03345606
Hillier, A., Murphy, D., & Ferrara, C. (2011). A pilot study: Short-term reduction in salivary cortisol following low level physical exercise and relaxation among adolescents and young adults on the autism spectrum. Stress and Health, 27(5), 395–402. https://doi.org/10.1002/smi.1391
Jacks, D. E., Sowash, J., Anning, J., McLoughlin, T., & Andres, F. (2002). Effect of exercise at three exercise intensities on salivary cortisol. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 16(2), 286–289.
Lakes, K. D., & Hoyt, W. T. (2004). Promoting self-regulation through school-based martial arts training. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 25(3), 283–302. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appdev.2004.04.002
Lamarre, B. W., & Nosanchuk, T. A. (1999). Judo–the gentle way: A replication of studies on martial arts and aggression. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 88(3 Pt 1), 992–996. https://doi.org/10.2466/pms.1999.88.3.992
Miles, J. H. (2011). Autism spectrum disorders—A genetics review. Genetics in Medicine, 13(4), 278–294. https://doi.org/10.1097/GIM.0b013e3181ff67ba
Movahedi, A., Bahrami, F., Marandi, S. M., & Abedi, A. (2013). Improvement in social dysfunction of children with autism spectrum disorder following long term Kata techniques training. Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders, 7(9), 1054–1061. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rasd.2013.04.012
Muscatello, R. A., & Corbett, B. A. (2018). Comparing the effects of age, pubertal development, and symptom profile on cortisol rhythm in children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder. Autism Research: Official Journal of the International Society for Autism Research, 11(1), 110–120. https://doi.org/10.1002/aur.1879
Richardson, J. T. E. (2011). Eta squared and partial eta squared as measures of effect size in educational research. Educational Research Review, 6(2), 135–147. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.edurev.2010.12.001
Rivera, P., Renziehausen, J., & Garcia, J. M. (2020). Effects of an 8-week judo program on behaviors in children with autism spectrum disorder: A mixed-methods approach. Child Psychiatry and Human Development, 51(5), 734–741. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10578-020-00994-7
Simonoff, E., Pickles, A., Charman, T., Chandler, S., Loucas, T., & Baird, G. (2008). Psychiatric disorders in children with autism spectrum disorders: Prevalence, comorbidity, and associated factors in a population-derived sample. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 47(8), 921–929. https://doi.org/10.1097/CHI.0b013e318179964f
Sothern, M. S., Loftin, M., Suskind, R. M., Udall, J. N., & Blecker, U. (1999). The health benefits of physical activity in children and adolescents: Implications for chronic disease prevention. European Journal of Pediatrics, 158(4), 271–274. https://doi.org/10.1007/s004310051070
Spratt, E. G., Nicholas, J. S., Brady, K. T., Carpenter, L. A., Hatcher, C. R., Meekins, K. A., Furlanetto, R. W., & Charles, J. M. (2012). Enhanced cortisol response to stress in children in autism. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 42(1), 75–81. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-011-1214-0
Zinke, K., Fries, E., Kliegel, M., Kirschbaum, C., & Dettenborn, L. (2010). Children with high-functioning autism show a normal cortisol awakening response (CAR). Psychoneuroendocrinology, 35(10), 1578–1582. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psyneuen.2010.03.009
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Contributions
J. M. R.: designed and executed the study, assisted with the data collection and analyses, and wrote the paper. P. M. R. and N. A. L.: assisted with data collection. D. H. F.: analyzed the data, collaborated in the writing and editing of the final manuscript. J. M. G.: supervised the development of the study design and data collection procedures, assisted with the writing of the manuscript.
Approval was obtained from University of Central Florida’s Institutional Review Board. The procedures used in this study adhere to the tenets of the Declaration of Helsinki. Informed consent was obtained from parents/guardians of participants and child assent was obtained prior to each point of data collection.
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Competing Interests
The authors declare no competing interests.
Additional information
Publisher's Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Renziehausen, J.M., Rivera, P.M., Leahy, N.A. et al. The Feasibility of a Community-Based Judo Program and Cortisol Collection in Children with Autism. Adv Neurodev Disord 6, 100–105 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s41252-022-00237-x
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s41252-022-00237-x