A randomized parent‐mediated physical activity intervention for autistic children

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the immediate and post effects of a parentmediated physical activity intervention on the fundamental motor skills of autistic children. We randomly assigned parent-child dyads (n = 31) of autistic children aged 4-11 years into three groups (workshop, an online, or control group). Each dyad participated in a 12-week intervention and was given adapted physical activity equipment and over 200 activities via a mobile application. Children were tested at the start and end of the intervention. The effect size (Cohen's d) of the control group for pre-post locomotor and ball skill scores were 0.12 and 0.06, respectively, indicating small effect size. The effect size of the online group for pre-post locomotor and ball skill scores were 49 and 0.26, respectively, indicating medium and small effect sizes. The effect size of the in-person group for pre-post locomotor and ball skill scores were 1.18 and 0.82, respectively, indicating large effect sizes. The outcomes of this physical activity intervention suggest that parents may facilitate the acquisition of fundamental motor skills of their autistic children. Although these results are positive, there is a need to further identify effective interventions for fundamental motor skill development in autistic children. Clinical Trials ID: NCT05159102. Lay SummaryAutistic children can benefit a lot from regular physical activity. Some of these benefits include being healthy and meeting new friends. Regular physical activity can also lead to being on sports teams. But most people agree that you need to be good at activities, like throwing, kicking, Parents can help their autistic children learn activities like throwing, kicking, and running, which are also known as fundamental motor skills. In this study, 31 families were randomly assigned to one group. Each family participated in either the workshop, the online, or the control group. Families in the workshop and online groups completed a 12-week physical activity program. Each participant received adapted physical activity equipment. They also received a mobile application with over 200 activities. The workshop group also attended four in-person workshops. The workshops focused on the needs of autistic children and their parents. The online group attended the workshops via Zoom. We tested children on their fundamental motor skills before and after the program. Parents of autistic children are their children's first teachers. Yet, they may not have the skills to teach their children how to do physical activity. So, our purpose was to focus on teaching parents of autistic children. As a result, children in this study improved their fundamental motor skills. This finding can help inform future programs for parents of autistic children.