Published: Apr 27, 2017 12:00 AM EDT.
He began walking at 8 months old. He would bounce on his backyard trampoline for hours and climb heights fearlessly. He slept only three hours a night until he was 7. As he grew older, he would go on long tandem bike rides, cross-country ski, and lead his father on walks that would leave them stranded miles from their home in Ottawa, Ontario.
And when he was stressed or upset, Des Brisay—who was diagnosed with autism when he was 2 and a half—would run. This posed a danger, because he didn’t understand what could harm him: traffic, exposure to weather, strangers.
When he was 14, in 2006, his mother, MaryAnn Given Des Brisay, asked her husband, Peter Des Brisay, to try taking their son along on his daily run, hoping to provide him a way to channel his desire for movement.
“It made sense—take something someone is instinctively driven to do and make it into a positive, rather than try to squelch a behavior,” Given Des Brisay said.
Initially, Des Brisay could run a few hundred meters at a time before he needed to walk. He was fit, but running required a different type of fitness. Plus, he was carrying extra weight, a side effect of medications he was taking to cope with the challenging symptoms of his autism.
But Des Brisay quickly found success in the routine. By the end of a week of training, he could slowly jog a loop that was almost two miles. His parents warmed to the dream of some day watching their son finish a road race.
That dream was realized sooner than they expected. In his first autumn of racing, Des Brisay regularly ran 5K races between 24 and 26 minutes. With consistent training, his times dropped, and he shed 35 pounds.
Within two years, he was near the front of the pack. The first time he won a race, he was confused about where everyone else was, so he went back up the course to run with each subsequent finisher and cheer for them as they crossed the line.
Des Brisay, now 25, has personal bests of 15:17 for 5K, 1:10:34 for the half marathon, and 2:38:50 in the marathon. It’s not unusual for him to go blowing by his competition while reciting lines or singing songs from his favorite movies.
“He’s quick, so the people around him are pretty serious guys,” said Peter Des Brisay. “They’ve got stressed looks on their faces and they’re breathing hard, and Tommy will be running by, giggling, singing a jingle from a Disney movie. They kind of look at him like, ‘What the hell? Why aren’t you dying like the rest of us?’”
What is the connection between autism and running? Scientists are beginning to explore what makes the sport such a potent tool for someone like Tommy Des Brisay.
Autism is considered a spectrum disorder because of the wide range of symptoms and behaviors—and significant individual variation—that go along with it. But the primary characteristics of the condition that would lead to an autism diagnosis are deficits in social communication and social interaction, along with restricted, repetitive patterns of behavior, interests, or activities.
The Des Brisay family has seen that the more Tommy runs, the less anxious he seems to be. More important, running has increased his social circle, giving him opportunities to practice his language and communication skills. And over the 10 years that he’s been a runner, he’s become less reliant on medication and has experienced fewer meltdowns.
Des Brisay didn’t begin to speak single words until he was almost 7, but his verbal abilities grew dramatically through his teens. “I have no idea if running was the catalyst, but teachers in his classroom would say things to us like, ‘We’ve never seen a student make so many gains in language throughout the teen years,’” Given Des Brisay said.
Of course, it’s impossible to know how Des Brisay would have developed without running—perhaps he would have made those same gains. But his mother says the biggest changes she has noticed in her son were his increased self-confidence and improved sense of well-being. “He became so aware of what was going on around him,” Given Des Brisay said. “At a road race, he would actually want to participate.”
Research is beginning to confirm some of the things the family has noticed. At the Academy of Pediatric Physical Therapy’s Section on Pediatrics 2016 Annual Conference last November, researchers from Achilles International and New York Medical College presented the promising results from one of the largest studies on autism and running to date.
Their work looked at the qualitative and quantitative effects of the Achilles Kids running program on 94 students with autism over a four-month period. They saw statistically significant improvements in endurance, social awareness, cognition, communication, and motivation, and fewer restrictive and repetitive behaviors among those who ran and walked for 20 minutes twice per week.
“[The results are] consistent with anecdotal evidence,” said Stuart Lustig, M.D., lead medical director for child and adolescent care at Cigna Behavioral Health in Glendale, California. “It’s certainly hopeful, but not definitive at this point. We need further studies.”
Previous studies of individuals with autism have suggested that exercise can improve some of those same measures.
The research shows what exercise also reduces: aggression, self injury, and motor stereotypies, which describes the repetitive behaviors—body rocking and hand flapping—that some people with autism engage in.
While many forms of exercise can benefit people on the spectrum, running may offer unique advantages. And some athletes with autism are seeing the benefits first hand.
Mikey Brannigan of East Northport, New York, is the most prominent runner known to be on the autism spectrum.
In August, the 20-year-old shattered the four-minute mile barrier for the first time, running 3:57.58, and last September he As they saw these changes in their son, they benefited, too. (T20 is one of the categories that classifies athletes with disabilities and refers to limitations in adaptive behavior and IQ.)
Brannigan hopes to make the U.S. Olympic team in 2020 or 2024; his mile time converts to 3:40.05 for 1500 meters, 2.05 seconds over the automatic qualifying time for the 2016 U.S. Olympic Trials.
His parents learned that he had autism when he was 18 months old. From the moment Brannigan could walk, he was running. By the time he was 2 or 3 years old, his family had trouble keeping up with him. He didn’t speak until he was about 5. His parents tried putting him in sports like soccer as an energy release, but after he scored on his own goal a few too many times, team sports were out.
“It was dangerous,” said his mother, Edie Brannigan. “You had to be close by him to grab him at all times. He would run into the street, toward the water, toward the woods. It was out of control.”
When Brannigan was in fourth grade, his father, Kevin, took his son to his first workout with the Rolling Thunder Special Needs Program, where he immediately kept up with much older, more seasoned runners.
“You never told me that he was a runner,” Steve Cuomo, Rolling Thunder founder and coach, told Kevin Brannigan.
Kevin Brannigan responded, “We never thought it was a good thing. We don’t encourage the running by any means.”
Once he began organized running, Brannigan stopped running away from his parents and caregivers. He began to finish at the front of his races, and by eighth grade he was so successful that the Northport High School track coach asked him to run on the high school varsity team. By his senior year, he was one of the top runners in the country.
It wasn’t just Brannigan’s running that flourished. When he began running in fourth grade, he was well behind the grade level academically. But by sixth grade, he had caught up.
“I watched it happen,” Edie Brannigan said. “During those two years, something shifted, something opened up, and his thinking became useful in the way of academics.”
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“I think that Mikey learned right away that when you win, there’s an admiration. You are looked up to by other people,” Edie Brannigan said. “Up to that point, he’d never had that. He was mostly rejected and disciplined. He strives not just for the calming of the [stereotypy], but to gain respect from his typical peers and be accepted by them.”
As they saw these changes in their son, they benefited, too.
“It gave us hope, in a way, that it wasn’t all negative and dangerous and scary,” she said. “People in the world would see me with Mikey and their reaction would be, ‘What’s wrong with that mother for not controlling her kid?’ It was many dirty looks and people saying things—a lifetime, at that point, of shame.”
Despite the benefits of exercise, few people with autism are prescribed exercise as a form of therapy.
Instead, plans cover things like occupational therapy, speech therapy, physical therapy, applied behavior analysis, and social skills groups, for starters. These therapies often take hours every day.
Why Its Important to Avoid Running Through Injury Clinic for Autism Research, Evaluation and Support at Texas State University in San Marcos, said that when a person has a serious condition, the habit is to think that it requires a complex intervention.
Why Is It Hard to Wake Up in the Morning.
“You’re thinking to yourself, ‘I could do an hour of this treatment or an hour of running,’” Lang said. “We don’t necessarily know which one of those things would be better for any individual to do within that hour, but the tendency may be to think that the other form of intervention is of course better, because exercise is just exercise.”
Instead, exercise tends to come up when patients gain weight, which can be a side effect of some of the medications prescribed to treat the symptoms associated with autism. These drugs can decrease instances of self-injury, severe meltdowns, and aggression.
Christopher McDougle, M.D., the director of the Health & Injuries in Lexington, Massachusetts, said that for certain patients, an exercise program could eliminate the need for certain drugs or at least reduce the dosage.
That’s the case with Tommy Des Brisay. Although medication has helped him in the past, in recent years he has managed without it. “I would hazard a guess that his running is the best medication of all,” Given Des Brisay said.
Ask any weekend road racer about the advantages of running, and you’ll hear the same things: Running offers opportunities for involvement in a community. It doesn’t require expensive equipment or instruction. Road races are easy to find. On cross-country and track teams, no one sits on the bench. You don’t have to be at the front of the pack to enjoy it.
Those benefits extend to people with autism, and because they are more likely to face physical and social challenges, they could have even more to gain.
For the Schneider family of Great Neck, New York, running has been a godsend. Their twin sons, Alex and Jamie, 26, who started running when they were 15, are on the autism spectrum. They are nonverbal and require 24-hour supervision.
When they race, their parents, Robyn and Allan, don’t think Alex and Jamie know whether they’re setting out to run a 5K or a marathon. Yet Alex has a marathon best of 2:56:20, he’s run two 50Ks, and he finished first overall in a five-mile race.
Jamie runs at a more relaxed pace, but he’s completed eight marathons. It’s clear to their parents that they love it.
“It’s so nice for us as a family, and as parents, because we can’t really have conversations with them or enjoy regular things that most parents enjoy with their kids,” Robyn Schneider said. “To be able to have this and be a family that can do this together has really made a huge difference for us.”
In running, social interaction is common, but it’s not required for success. Running does not require mastery of complex techniques, intricate rules, or the principles of teamwork—but it does offer the opportunity to be a part of a team.
“Running, in general, is a community sport and lifetime activity that de-emphasizes social communication and emphasizes repetitive behavior,” Lang said. “That lends itself well to alignment with the characteristics of autism.”
When Brannigan was asked to join the high school cross-country team in eighth grade, his parents initially said no, fearing how he might be treated by older kids. They only relented when older friends at the school promised to keep an eye on him.
Brannigan’s example is an extreme one—he not only thrived on his high school team, he achieved such success that he had news crews showing up to cover his story. His peers voted him prom king his senior year.
“With the success of the running, plus the media stuff, [that] catapulted him into coolness with all athletes,” Edie Brannigan said.
For Many With Autism, Running Is A Sport That Fits.
As Zoe Jarvis, a 17-year-old high school senior at Chapparal High School in Temecula, California, started winning races, an opposing team’s coach asked why Jarvis wasn’t more outgoing in her interactions with competitors. Her coach explained that she is on the autism spectrum.
Her mother, Malia Jarvis, wasn’t sure how her daughter would react to the other runners.
“At first I was like, ‘Is she going to hug a sweaty person?’ because she gets grossed out,” Malia Jarvis said. “But [now] she hugs them back and she says, ‘Thank you and great job to you, too.’ She even says to me, ‘Look, Mom, I’m getting more social.’”
The family has moved several times for her father’s military career, and running helped Jarvis, who has run 5:16 for the mile, find her place in a large high school.
“It made me fit in and it made me make more friends,” Jarvis said.
The running community tends to be inclusive, respecting runners for their effort, regardless of their speed. Des Brisay has found training partners and a welcome, supportive community through the Ottawa Lions Track & Field Club, which bills itself as Canada’s largest track-and-field club.
“The nicest thing of all is when people don’t really make it about [Tommy] being an autistic runner. It’s like here’s the workout, he’s a runner,” Peter Des Brisay said. “And yeah, sure, afterward when we’re cooling down and we’re talking about what we’re going to do later, he’s kind of out there, but…there aren’t many places where he can be just one of the guys. Not one of the autistic guys or even a different guy. Just a guy doing a great workout.”
Despite its benefits, no one is claiming that running is the equivalent of a magic pill that will eradicate the challenges that people with autism face. But researchers acknowledge that the use of exercise as an intervention is currently undervalued.
“Exercise is not likely to be effective as a stand-alone treatment for autism,” Lang said. “You’re never going to run your autism away. But it could be considered as complementary to the treatment of autism as it is to the treatment of other health issues like heart disease.”
It’s also not always as simple as sending people with autism out for a run. For those who need supervision, finding a running companion who can keep up can be a challenge. Des Brisay’s father used to run with him before he had a hip replacement, but he now rides on a bike alongside his son during road races to make sure he follows the course, remains hydrated, follows instructions from officials, and doesn’t try to speak to other competitors when they are trying to focus. On the track, Des Brisay races independently.
Alex Schneider’s personal coach, Kevin McDermott, used to accompany him during most of his runs, but as Schneider has improved and McDermott has slowed, he now uses a combination of running and biking to keep up.
And some coaches of runners with autism worry that their athletes may not communicate that they are in pain the same way other runners might. “[Alex] almost seems impervious to pain,” McDermott said. “He almost has this muted sense of pain where unless you see the blood, you don’t realize he’s hurt. So we try to exercise caution [in his training].”
All the same, the believers wish more people with autism would try it. Andrew Novis, who is on the Asperger/Autism Network’s board of directors, is one of those.
Novis, 53, who lives in Medford, Massachusetts, has been a runner since high school and was diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome at age 49. (Since 2013, Asperger’s syndrome is no longer considered a stand-alone diagnosis. Instead, it falls under the umbrella of Autism Spectrum Disorder.)
On April 17, he ran his 18th official Boston Marathon in 3:11:24. He’s completed close to 100 marathons and ultras total.
“For me it’s a no-brainer. Why aren’t more people on the spectrum running?” Novis said. “I really think that taking up running could help them overcome at least some social anxiety and get them outside. I think being able to be in that zone, that zen state, that’s something that people with autism really need, especially when they’re dealing with anxiety. Running puts you in a more peaceful zone.”
It’s impossible to say how Tommy Des Brisay’s life would have turned out had he never taken up running.
As they saw these changes in their son, they benefited, too in spite of his autism, his mother prefers to ask, “What if it’s because of his autism that he’s this successful?
“You can choose to look at autism as a disability or you can choose to look at it as a collection of abilities that can be celebrated,” she said. “There’s no doubt that for Tommy, part of his success as a runner has been his unfailing willingness or joy in training all the time. He’s the kind of guy that doesn’t see it as a tedium of any kind to go forward and do the same workout. There’s a comfort for him in that. So I think for Tommy, his autistic tendencies are an advantage in a lot of things. One of those is his running.”
After all, some of the characteristics that would lead to an autism diagnosis—repetitive behaviors, strict adherence to a routine, highly restricted, fixated interests—are helpful for training.
Grace Ling, 19, is a sophomore at Division I Santa Clara University, where she is on an athletic scholarship. Ling was diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome when she was in third grade, but her parents did not tell her about her diagnosis until she was in seventh grade.
When Ling learned of her diagnosis, her self-esteem plunged. One year later, she took up running, even though she did not have a natural desire to run. Only when her mother began paying her $6 per hour to keep her company at the gym did Ling realize she had a talent for the sport.
She began to improve, and by her senior year, she qualified for the Foot Locker Cross Country National Championships. Ling said that though she was slow to embrace her Asperger’s diagnosis, she now sees that it may have played a role in her running success and other areas of her life.
“I used to hate myself because I had Asperger’s, but now I love that about myself,” Ling said. “It gives me the innate ability, the motivation, to do things.”
Of course, for most families of runners with autism, running speed is secondary to their improved quality of life.
Because of her son’s success, Edie Brannigan often hears from other parents of children with autism who are looking for advice.
“I tell every single person who will listen: ‘Get them moving. Get them swimming, get them running, get them walking, get them moving. Move, move, move, move, move,’” Brannigan said. “It changes them, it opens up something in their brain. I swear to God, it’s not just Mikey. It’s any kid.”’
Running Programs for People With Autism
As more people are being diagnosed with autism—1 out of every 68 children in the U.S.—more programming has emerged.
On middle school and high school cross-country and track-and-field teams, many children with autism find opportunities to compete. Their success stories regularly make headlines.
For some children with autism who are in separate special education classrooms at school, joining their school’s cross-country team may be the first time they participate in a mainstream activity, opening up a “world of opportunity for them to be included,” said Randy Horowitz, a special educator and school administrator in Levittown, New York, who has worked extensively with people with autism.
Others are stand-alone programs. The Long Island, New York–based ###a href="http://www.rtsnp.org/" target="_blank">Rolling Thunder Special Needs Program is a trailblazer. The club began in 1998, and it has produced a number of success stories, including Mikey Brannigan and Alex and Jamie Schneider.
Rolling Thunder was founded by Steve Cuomo, an outspoken parent of a now-adult son, Steven Cuomo, with autism and cerebral palsy. While the group is not specifically for people with autism, it attracts many people on the spectrum. And Cuomo finds a place for everyone who shows up.
“[Track-and-field] is the perfect sport,” Cuomo said. “If you’re big, small, tall, little, fat, skinny, there’s something for you. I can throw, I can run, I can jump.”
While Brannigan’s success has brought a lot of attention to Rolling Thunder, Cuomo stresses that the program is just as much for the beginners walking to lose weight as it is about those looking to set records and win races.
“This is about breaking the stigma, and giving these kids the tools to succeed in life,” Cuomo said.
Each weekend in New York City’s Central Park, the group Achilles International offers the Why Is It Hard to Wake Up in the Morning, a free training session for children with disabilities. Like Rolling Thunder, the program is not designed specifically for people with autism. But the majority of children it attracts are on the autism spectrum.
“It’s an interesting commentary about where the world of disability is right now, that this is the population that needs serving,” said Megan Wynne Lombardo, the director of the program.
For some, it’s also one of the first extracurricular activities where they receive positive feedback. She recalls one boy who showed natural running talent, and she told his parents so.
“His parents kept saying to me, ‘He’s really good at this?’ Because they get so much negative feedback, these kids, about everything they do, and so do their parents. It’s like, ‘They did this wrong,’ ‘They can’t sit,’” Wynne Lombardo said. “This is something they can do, they’re good at. It’s a really supportive environment and it’s a place where you can put forth some effort, see the results, and feel good about yourself.”
In Staten Island, New York Road Runners has offered autism-friendly runs, without large crowds or a starting gun, as part of its Health - Injuries. Many people with autism also have sensory sensitivities that can make crowds and loud noises overwhelming.
How Under-Fueling Affects Performance and Health Running Mates, We may earn commission from links on this page, but we only recommend products we back, As they saw these changes in their son, they benefited, too is a running group specifically for children and teens with autism. In Massachusetts, Team Verge, an inclusive running and wheelchair program for all ages, doesn’t seek out people on the autism spectrum. But organizers say about 90 percent of the people the program attracts have autism.
