Effects of Family-Professional Partnerships in Adapted Physical Education on the Fundamental Motor Skills, Adaptive Behaviors, and Physical Activity Levels of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder and on Parent Satisfaction.

Abstract

This study aimed to explore the effect of family-professional partnerships in adapted physical education on the fundamental motor skills, physical activity levels, and adaptive behaviors of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and on parental satisfaction. A randomized controlled trial design was used, with pre-and post-intervention evaluations. Participants (n = 40), including children with ASD and their parents, were divided into three groups: (a) a family-school group (FSG-A, n = 14), (b) a school group (SG-B, n = 13), and (c) a control group (CG-C, n = 13). After 12 weeks of intervention, the within-group comparison revealed that the FSG-A performed better than the SG-B and CG-C for all variables. The among-group comparison further revealed that the FSG-A had greater fundamental motor skill scores than the SG-B (p = 0.021) and CG-C (p < 0.001), had greater adaptive behavior and family-professional partnership scores than the SG-B and CG-C (p < 0.001 for all), and had higher physical activity levels than the SG-B (p < 0.05) and CG-C (p < 0.001). This study underscores the significance of robust family-professional partnerships in exercise interventions for children with ASD.