Motor Skills and Level of Physical Activity in Young Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Abstract

The research to date examining the motor skills in middle school and high school aged children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) suggests that significant motor delays are evident when comparisons are made to typically developing peers or normative data. Furthermore, the physical activity (PA) levels in adolescents with ASD have been shown to decrease with age. However, relatively little is known about the motor skills or level of PA in young children with ASD. The purpose of this dissertation is to first determine a baseline measurement of motor skills and level of PA that characterizes young children with ASD. Knowledge from this research will help to define parameters for a motor skill intervention targeting young children with ASD.

Thirty-four children with ASD aged 2 to 5 participated in the first aim of this dissertation. The majority of study participants were found to be in the below average or poorer ranges based on normative data on a standardized motor assessment. In order to compare levels of PA, nineteen typically developing children were compared to the ASD group. Children with ASD were found to accumulate more mean minutes per day in moderate to vigorous PA, with both groups meeting current recommendations of sixty minutes of daily moderate to vigorous PA.

The secondary aim of the dissertation was to measure changes to both motor skills and levels of PA following an 8 week long motor skill intervention delivered to young children with ASD. Strategies from Classroom Pivotal Response Teaching (CPRT) were implemented as the framework for instruction. Nineteen participants’ aged 4 – 6 participated in this study. Findings revealed that participants in the experimental group significantly improved their overall gross motor skills including both locomotor and object control skills. However, their levels of PA did not improve following the intervention.

Results from this intervention may be used to inform policy makers to include motor skill programming as part of the comprehensive early intervention services delivered to young children with ASD.