Associated Simons Center for the Social Brain Pilot Study

This class is being offered in conjunction with an MIT research study at the Simons Center for the Social Brain: The Impact of Physical Intelligence on Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), which is designed to investigate whether a range of simple, physical exercises can help MIT students with some of the challenges associated with ASD. Students are not required to participate in the study of this class, but may do so if they wish.

Consent Forms

Consent to Participate in Interviews (PDF)

Consent to Participate in Non-Biomedical Research (PDF)

Consent to Participate in the Video-Journal (PDF)

Background

Autism affects 1 out of 88 children (1 of 54 boys) today. This is the fastest growing developmental disability in the U.S. Medical treatment options are directed at symptoms with limited understanding of the etiology or pathogenesis of autism. Current medical options are fraught with side effects and work indirectly at best. We propose a cognitive–physical approach as a means of intervention with readily visible benefits.

Characteristics of autism include a significant inability to focus and / or an inattention to many environmental and physical factors. In autistic individuals, the mind and body work together in ways that are different, and often disconnected, compared to the general population. Despite their disabilities, however, many autistic individuals are talented, enormously creative and can be phenomenal contributors to science, technology and society as a whole. Our approach is directed toward helping such students to realize their potential.

Hypothesis

We hypothesize that there is a correlation between a mindful approach to physical activity (i.e., exercises designed to better integrate mind and body as a single system) and improved bodily awareness / physical presence for students on the autism spectrum that can lead to better social skills and more successful interactions with colleagues, collaborators, friends and family.

We are familiar with the benefits associated with physical activity. But, for students who are less athletically inclined and / or adverse to physical activity, even slightly better agility, improved posture, a more comfortable physical presence and the self-assurance it affords can make a profound difference in how they feel about, carry and present themselves. This study (and its accompanying class offering) is built on the premise that even in such a highly scientific and technological society we are still physical beings in a physical world. In other words, the physical dimensions of our experience remain critically important, not just for fitness and health purposes, but for public speaking and presentations, job interviews, interpersonal communication and relationships. What if a range of simple, physical exercises designed to help cultivate key dimensions of physical intelligence could transform so-called neurodevelopmental disabilities into learning opportunities and strengths?

The proposed curriculum (ES.S71) is designed to help subjects cultivate a more fluent relationship between mind and body that a student’s unexercised realms (physical activity) may be accessed through his or her individual cognitive strengths. Students will not only reap the benefits we associate with physical activity but, as we will measure, experience a better, more comfortable relationship to the physical dimensions of their experience for improved social skills.

Design and Experimentation

In coordination with MIT’s Simon Center, Athletic Department and Health Services area, this pilot study involves the launch of an experimental MIT class / laboratory that offers students the chance to participate in a unique 12–week curriculum designed to educate physically in a new way. Using the MIT gymnastics facility for the movement possibilities it affords, the class involves innovative, whole-body exercises to coax the powers of concentration, creative insight and problem-solving that so many young MIT minds possess down into the body to link such cognitive strengths with overall bodily awareness. Our interest is in investigating how a mindful approach to physical activity (i.e., exercises and activities specifically designed to improve bodily awareness in terms of kinesthetic awareness and proprioception) can affect how students feel in their bodies, carry and present themselves for more successful interactions with colleagues, friends and family.

Class sessions run for 1 hour, two times per week, while an optional third session per week—an unstructured “open gym” period—offers students the chance to further explore and practice the exercises covered while receiving one-on-one instruction. The focus of each week’s instruction is a key area of investigation such as balance, agility, perception, proprioception, kinesthetic awareness, the role of gravitation in our morphology and movement patterns, and the physical basis of emotion, etc. Brief discussions, and / or visual presentations introduce basic concepts, while specific exercises and physical problem solving allow students to experientially explore and physically develop skills germane to each topic (e.g., blindfolded movement exercises, trampoline, high-speed video, experiments with gravity, etc.).

Direct observables in class settings include: physical aptitude, physical fitness levels and social skills. In addition, entry and exit interviews, a social aptitude test and a semester-long video journal assignment will help us to understand the range of benefits and round-out the picture.