Sep 29, 2014 01:25 AM EDT By J Baulkman, UniversityHerald Reporter

Researchers from Oregon State University found that children with autism are more sedentary than their typically-developing peers, averaging 50 minutes less a day of moderate physical activity and 70 minutes more each day sitting.

The small study of 29 children, some with autism and some without, showed that children with autism perform as well as their typical peers on fitness assessments such as body mass index, aerobic fitness levels and flexibility.

"These kids, compared to their peers, are similarly fit," Megan Macdonald, an assistant professor in Oregon State University's College of Public Health and Human Sciences, said in a statement. "That's really exciting, because it means those underlying fitness abilities are there."

For the study, researchers recruited 17 children with autism and 12 children without autism. They tested the fitness and physical activity levels of the study participants. The fitness assessments included a 20-meter, multi-stage shuttle run to measure aerobic fitness; a sit-and-reach test to measure flexibility and a strength test to measure handgrip strength; as well as height, weight and body mass index measurements.

Even though they were more sedentary, the children with autism lagged behind their peers on only one fitness measure, the strength test. The results were surprising but also encouraging because they show that children with autism are essentially on par with their peers when it comes to physical fitness activities, MacDonald said.

"That's really important for parents and teachers to understand, because it opens the door for them to participate in so many activities," she added.

Researchers warned that more research is needed to determine why children with autism tend to be more sedentary. But MacDonald suggests that it may be that children with autism have fewer opportunities to participate in organized sports or physical education activities. But if that's the case, it needs to change.

"They can do it. Those abilities are there," MacDonald said. "We need to work with them to give them opportunities."

The findings were recently published in the journal Autism Research and Treatment.

See Now: Covert Team Inside Newsweek Revealed as Key Players in False Human Trafficking Lawsuit