Motivating Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder in Gross Motor-skill Assessments

Abstract

Assessment is the foundation of providing appropriate services and developing effective lesson plans for physical education. If assessment results do not truly represent a child's ability level, the physical education experience for that student may be less meaningful. This can be a concern for students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) who may not understand or have an interest in the rigid structure of standardized motor assessments. Recent research has focused on improving communication during gross motor-skill assessment to improve skill performance among children with ASD. In order to further increase the accuracy of movement skill assessments for students with ASD, however, it is important that teachers and professionals also address a student's motivation to participate. If the student with ASD is motivated to participate in the assessment, the student will be more interested in and perform the skill better. The purpose of this article is to provide strategies to increase motivation during gross motor-skill assessments in order to improve accuracy and knowledge of the student's movement capabilities. Strategies for how physical educators can increase motivation will be presented, including getting to know the student, making the assessment fun, and providing choices.