People with autism 'benefit from choosing own activities'

Individuals with autism, who may use young person's services or require respite care, can benefit from choosing their own leisure activities, one study has indicated.

An international team of researchers identified that allowing those with autism to make their own leisure choices can improve their communication and social skills are well as boosting their enjoyment of activities.

Professor John Dattilo, of Penn State, said that for most people, leisure time is a time designed for our enjoyment.

 "But for some people with disabilities, particularly those who have autism, these activities can be a source of frustration, simply because they didn't have a chance to make their own leisure choices," he added.

This comes after a study, published in the Journal of Neurochemistry, found that brain chemical serotonin could be involved in 30 per cent of autism cases.

Researchers proved that a medication known as buspirone improved the social behaviour of mice, with those that had been given the drug choosing to spend a longer period of time with a "stranger" mouse.

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