Effects of Participation in Inclusive Physical Activity on Social Skills of Individuals With Autism Spectrum Disorder

Sibel Nalbant

doi:10.11114/jets.v6i12.3789

Abstract

In the National Standards Report (2015) of the National Autism Centre, participation in physical activities in the education of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is defined to be a promising intervention method (scientific base being formed). On the other hand, as a result of the regulations on inclusion, there has been a rapid increase in the number of children with special needs studying in general education classes together with their peers. Based on these two tendencies in recent years, the objective of this study was determined to be the effect of participation in inclusive physical activity on social skill in children and youth with ASD. The participants of the study were 55 children with ASD between the ages of 6 and 26 including 15 girls and 40 boys who participated in the inclusive physical activity (IPAC) program with their peers having typical development for two days a week and 45 minutes a day during 3 months within the scope of the “Inclusive Physical Activity Centre” project of the Istanbul Gedik University. The applied IPAC program involved peer participation and supported specialized movement skills and development of physical and motor capabilities. The data of this research were gathered using a Personal Information Form and Autism Social Skill Profile (ASSP) by face-to-face interviews with the parents of the participants. The study was designed with the single group pretest-posttest model of quasi-experimental studies. The study after IPAC determined a significant difference in the subscales of the scale and in the ASSP-Total score (p<0.05). The findings of this study demonstrated the effectiveness of inclusive physical activity on the social skills of individuals with ASD. For the similar future studies, the use of the design with control group and supporting it with qualitative data for the detailed explanation of the results obtained by quantitative approach are recommended.

Highlights

Human kind starts communication with others and continues to grow in social interaction
The aim of this study is to examine the effect of regular participation in inclusive physical activity in children with autism spectrum disorder on their social skills
According to the results of this study which examined the social skills of the children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) that change by participation in inclusive physical activity, the average score of 55 participants was found to be 39.12 for the social reciprocity subscale, 34.90 for the Social Participation/Avoidance subscale, and 17,14 for the detrimental social behaviours subscale

Summary

Introduction

Human kind starts communication with others and continues to grow in social interaction. Another important issue is that the PA environment joined by the individuals with special needs should provide high efficiency For this purpose, the PA environment should be inclusive based on the statement in the Article 30 of the Convention of the United Nations on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities which reads “equal participation of children with special needs in sporting activities with their peers”. The PA environment should be inclusive based on the statement in the Article 30 of the Convention of the United Nations on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities which reads “equal participation of children with special needs in sporting activities with their peers” Another detail is that the physical activities to be implemented in inclusive environment should be planned in a manner meeting the activity needs of every kind of participants

Objectives

Methods

Results