Gross Motor Development and Physical Activity Patterns inChildren with Autism Spectrum Disorders

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine physical activity (PA) and fundamental movement skills (FMS) in elementary school-aged children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), and to determine whether the relationship exist between PA and FMS. Children, aged 7 ~ 12 years, were divided into two grade groups (grades 1 ~ 3, n = 21; grades 4 ~ 6, n = 13). FMS performance was assessed using the Test of Gross Motor Development II (TGMD- 2) (Ulrich, 2000). PA was assessed using the GT1M accelerometer (Shalimar, Florida) for a week. Mann-Whitney U Tests were used to test significant differences between groups for various types of PA patterns and FMS performance. Spearman's rank correlation coefficient was employed to evaluate the relationship between each PA and FMS by children's grade. Mann-Whitney U Tests were also used to examine differences in various indices of habitual PA by quartiles of movement skills. The main findings were: 1. lower grade children spent significantly more percentage of time in moderate PA and moderate-to-vigorous PA than upper grade children; 2. both groups of children with ASD were not significantly different at FMS performance; 3. PA was not significantly correlated with FMS; and 4. no significant association with quartiles of motor skills and PA was found. It is concluded that youth age is a significant PA correlate in children with ASD. More longitudinal and cross sectional studies are needed to investigate the importance of PA on FMS among children.