Parents Help Reshape Online Physical Activity Program for Young Children with Autism

Parents are the first and most influential figures in shaping whether young children grow up active, yet when it comes to children with autism, almost no research-based interventions have been designed to put caregivers in the driver’s seat. A new pilot study published in the Early Childhood Education Journal set out to close that gap by adapting an existing, theory-based online physical activity intervention—originally built for preschool teachers—into a version tailored for parents of young children with autism. The result, called WE PLAY for Parents, emerged from a community-engaged process in which twenty caregivers systematically reviewed every component of the program and told researchers exactly what worked, what did not, and what was missing.

The original intervention, Wellness Enhancing Physical Activity for Young Children, or WE PLAY, was developed to help early childhood educators promote physical activity among typically developing students. Its foundations rest on social cognitive theory, the theory of planned behavior, and implementation science, and it is delivered online and free of charge. The program includes a self-paced training on the importance of physical activity and effective promotion strategies, along with supplemental resources such as a video library of game demonstrations, self-assessment tools, and game handouts. A previous adaptation had already refined the training to help teachers better include preschoolers with autism in active play, and a single-case design study had demonstrated a functional relationship between the online teacher training and increased moderate-to-vigorous physical activity in preschoolers with autism. What remained untested was whether the same framework could be handed to parents.

The rationale for doing so is grounded in a substantial body of evidence. Systematic reviews of ninety-six studies involving children from birth to age four have shown a dose-response relationship between physical activity and health benefits, and reviews of intervention research consistently find that programs grounded in theory, involving caregivers in key roles, and supported by experts are associated with increased child activity levels. A Cochrane systematic review of sixteen studies concluded that interventions engaging caregivers—particularly through active participation and role modeling—are more effective at promoting healthier behaviors in children than interventions targeting only the child. Meta-analytic findings have shown a moderate association between parents’ supportive behaviors and their children’s physical activity participation, and specific practices such as role modeling, encouragement, creating routines, and playing directly with children are well-established levers of change.

For children with autism, however, the picture is starkly different. Compared with typically developing peers, children with disabilities participate in fewer types of physical activities, often show delays in motor skills, and face barriers including behavioral challenges, social communication difficulties, and adults’ uncertainty about how to modify active games to include them. Existing physical activity interventions for preschoolers with autism have rarely measured physical activity as a primary outcome, have often focused instead on gross motor or stereotyped behaviors, and have typically taken place in educational settings that exclude caregivers. Parents of children with disabilities report valuing physical activity but encounter limited resources, time constraints, and safety concerns specific to their child’s needs, pointing to a need for tailored, parent-focused training.

To address this, the research team at Northeastern University followed a systematic adaptation approach, first making content revisions based on the literature and clinical expertise while retaining the core components and theoretical frameworks of the original intervention. The first author translated professional jargon into caregiver-friendly language, presented content in audio, visual, and written formats, replaced classroom-based strategies with home- and community-based applications, added anonymous discussion boards, and supplemented resources with social stories and tip sheets addressing safety and social concerns. The resulting WE PLAY for Parents program, hosted on a free online platform, consists of seven components parents can complete independently in one to two hours: an interactive asynchronous training, a video library of active games, printable activity and behavior management guides, a self-assessment tool, three anonymous discussion boards, a resource library, and a twelve-question self-assessment that helps parents reflect on their child’s activity and family routines.

Twenty parents of children with autism aged six to eight then reviewed the adapted program. The age range was deliberate: these caregivers had recently raised preschool-age children with autism and could reflect retroactively on what would have helped between ages three and five. Participants ranged from 27 to 47 years old, with mothers making up 55 percent and fathers 45 percent—a notably inclusive split in a field historically dominated by maternal perspectives. The sample was also racially and ethnically diverse, with 30 percent identifying as Black or African American, 30 percent as White, 20 percent as American Indian or Alaskan Native, 15 percent as multiple races, and 10 percent as Hispanic or Latine, recruited from eight U.S. states. Platform data showed participants spent an average of about 68 minutes reviewing the training and resources.

The feedback was overwhelmingly positive. Every participant rated the online training modules and associated resources—video examples, discussion boards, action plan, self-assessment, and behavior management handout—as either helpful as is or helpful with minor modifications. Parents described the program as impactful, worthwhile, and exceeding expectations, with several spontaneously reporting that they had tried specific games from the training with their children. Participants consistently reported gains in perceived knowledge, confidence, and motivation, saying the training opened their eyes to new ways of supporting their child’s growth and left them feeling more confident as parents. Video demonstrations and handouts were singled out as especially valuable for translating concepts into practice, with parents noting the videos were easy to incorporate into daily activities and that handouts could be shared with other parents without logging in.

The community-engaged process also surfaced concrete improvements. Parents asked for greater representation of children across developmental and motor ability levels, including children who are less socially motivated or who have motor challenges. They wanted longer videos with multiple examples and modifications, and clearer anticipatory guidance to reduce the intimidation some caregivers feel when introducing unfamiliar activities—one parent warned that a particular video could be very intimidating to an autism caregiver if shown before the adaptations appeared. Follow-up interviews with four participants added requests for more information on developmental motor milestones, explicit scaffolding strategies such as hand-over-hand prompting, modeling of coping strategies for children who become overwhelmed, and a concise handout highlighting the most important takeaways. The research team incorporated all feasible suggestions, adding more video examples including individual home-based activities like dancing, anticipatory content previewing video modifications, clearer timing guidance for the self-assessment, and a mnemonic-based handout—P.L.A.Y., standing for Praise; Lead and Model; Ask, Encourage, Prompt; and Your Words Describe.

The study’s authors emphasize that the community-engaged framework was central to its success. Rather than treating parents as passive recipients, the approach positioned them as collaborators and content experts, and their feedback directly shaped decisions about format, timing, and embedded supports. The collaborative process also identified barriers often overlooked in traditional designs, including caregiver intimidation, safety and emotional regulation concerns, and variability in children’s developmental profiles. The authors note limitations: participants were English-speaking, budget and ethical constraints limited new video production featuring children with autism, and the study measured acceptability rather than behavioral outcomes, so it remains unknown whether perceived gains in confidence and motivation translate into sustained changes in parent behavior or children’s activity levels. Future work includes a fully powered randomized controlled trial with objective measures. For now, the study offers a promising, freely accessible template for putting evidence-based physical activity tools directly into the hands of the people best positioned to use them: parents.

Subject of Research: Community-engaged adaptation of an online physical activity intervention for parents of young children with autism

Article Title: WE PLAY for Parents: Community-Engaged Adaptation of an Online Physical Activity Intervention for Parents of Young Children with Autism

Article References: Medeiros, H. V., Hoffman, J., Lifter, K., & Briesch, A. (2026). WE PLAY for Parents: Community-Engaged Adaptation of an Online Physical Activity Intervention for Parents of Young Children with Autism. Early Childhood Education Journal. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-026-02354-x

Image Credits: AI Generated

DOI: 10.1007/s10643-026-02354-x

Keywords: physical activity, autism, parents, preschool children, community-engaged research, intervention adaptation, active play, caregiver-mediated intervention, early childhood, online training, social cognitive theory, developmental disabilities