TRAINING SPEED AND AGILITY IN ATHLETES WITH AUTISM
Gandotra, A., Kotyuk, E., Szekely, A., et al. (2020). Fundamental movement skills in children
with autism spectrum disorder: A systematic review. Research in Autism Spectrum
Disorders, 78, 101632. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rasd.2020.101632
“Fundamental movement skills in children w/ autism spectrum disorder: a systematic review”
Background
oFundamental movement skills (FMS) are basic movement skills (i.e. balance,
object control, and locomotor skills) that form the foundation for more advanced
movement patterns. These skills are a crucial but often an overlooked part of the
development process, especially in populations with autism spectrum disorder
(ASD)
Method
o24 studies that measured FMS in ASD children using standardized movement
assessment batteries
Results
oimpairments in FMS are highly prevalent across the ASD spectrum and that
children with ASD exhibited greater impairments in FMS competencies
especially object control and locomotor skills compared to typically developing
children and those with other developmental disorders. Moreover, these
impairments in FMS appear to emerge early in life and persist throughout late
childhood years in the majority of children with ASD
conclusion
oSuggests that FMS has ponteital to be early motor marker in ASD children
Arslan, E., Ince, G., & Akyüz, M. (2020). Effects of a 12-week structured circuit exercise
program on physical fitness levels of children with autism spectrum condition and typically
developing children. International Journal of Developmental Disabilities, 68(4), 500–510.
https://doi.org/10.1080/20473869.2020.1819943
“effect of a 12 week structured circuit exercise program on physical fitness levels of children with autism
spectrum condition and typically developing children”
Methods
o14 boys w/ atypical autism and 14 typically developing boys
o4 groups – experimental and control for each
TRAINING SPEED AND AGILITY IN ATHLETES WITH AUTISM
oUsed testing parameters from Bruininks-Oseretsky test of gross motor proficiency (BOT-
2)
BOT-2 – measures fine/gross motor proficiency, w/ subtests that focus on
stability, mobility, strength, coordination, and object manipulation
Tailored for school aged children/young adults b/w 4-21
Testing parameters assessed
Running speed and agility
Balance
Bilateral coordination
Standing long jump (SLJ)
Handgrip strength, reaction times (visual and auditory), and flexibility tests also
oTraining program – 3 60 min sessions/wk for 12 weeks
Results
oSs improvements in AEG in running speed/agility, balance, SLJ, reaction times, handgrip
strength, and flexilibty
oTDEG – only SLJ scores didn’t ss improve
oComparing AEG and TDEG pre/post test values, AEG showed 30% greater development
w/ respect to balance, SLJ, auditory reaction time, and handgrip strength
Conclusions
oBased on the significant improvements in physical fitness parameters of AEG, we
recommend that children with ASC start sports training immediately when diagnosed
with autism and participate in structured physical activities with their peers
Akta, S., & Guven, F. (2020). Determination of the effect of the 8-week training program on
children skill development applied to children with atypical autism. International Journal
of Applied Exercise Physiology, 9(11), 179–185.
“Determination of the effect of the 8-week training program on children skill development applied to
children w/ atypical autism”
Purpose
oEffect of 8 week program for atypical autism boys on motor skill development
Methods
o15 male individuals w/ atypical autism 8-10 yo
o8-10 hrs of supervised training, depending on program
oTests performed pre, mid, and post
Hexagon (quickness) test
Back neck flexibility test
30 m speed test
Results
oSs diff b/e average baseline values and at weeks 4 and 8 in quickness test
oSs difference b/w averages in flexibility test
oSs difference found b/w averages)
TRAINING SPEED AND AGILITY IN ATHLETES WITH AUTISM
Discussion
oExercise training program has positive effect on development of gross/fine motor skills
according to the limiting measurement parameters
This development is both mental and physical in children with ASD (autism
spectrum disorder)
oCompared to literature, physical development levels of children diagnosed w/ autism
are lower that those of the same age group
Results of the three tests found that motor skill performances are slower in
individuals diagnosed w/ autism than normal individuals
but even if motor skill performance shows a slow development, it can be said
that there is a significant improvement in motor skill performances when
supported by exercise programs as shown in the studies.
Akdoğan, A. S., & Uzun, A. (2022). Determining the physical fitness of individuals with autism
in early and middle adolescence period. Education Quarterly Reviews, 5(2), 90–101.
https://doi.org/10.31219/osf.io/7y8w2
“Determining the physical fitness of individuals w/ autism in early and middle adolescence period”
Purpose
oCompare physical fitness levels of autistic individuals w/ individuals in early/middle
adolescence periods w/ normal development and the needs of the individuals w/ autism
in terms of physical fitness
Methods
oAged 10-17
Autistics indviiduals w/ 1+ years of sports training
Randomly selected individuals who do not do sports and show normal
development
oCross-sectional survey
oFitness level of normal individuals determined by Brockport Physical Fitness test and
some motoric test batteries
Results
oSs diff found b/w BMI, triceps, calf, hand grip, back strength, trunk lift, long jump, and 1
mile run time of early and middle adolescence periods
oAccording to Brockport values – all values of individuals w/ autism are physically behind
the individuals w/ normal development
oIndividuals w/ autism were found to
Be shorter in stature
Have higher body weights /BMI
TRAINING SPEED AND AGILITY IN ATHLETES WITH AUTISM
Pan, C.-Y. (2012). Motor proficiency and physical fitness in adolescent males with and without
autism spectrum disorders. Autism, 18(2), 156–165.
https://doi.org/10.1177/1362361312458597
“Motor proficiency and physical fitness in adolescent males w/ and w/o autism spectrum disorders”
Methods
oN=62, 31 w/, 31 w/o ASD aged 10-17
7 w/ Asperger’s syndrome, 24 w/ mild autistic disorders (high-functioning
autism)
he intelligence of the children with mild autistic disorders were within normal
ranges, but social-adaptive skills and language comprehension and expression
were slightly impaired
oCompleted tests
Bruininks-Oseretsky test of motor proficiency 2nd edition
Brockport physical fitness test
BIA
Results
oAdolescents w/ ASD hve ss lower scores on ALL motor proficiency and fitness measures,
EXCEPT body composition than those w/o ASD
oTypes of associations b/w the two measures differed ss across groups
oIn individuals w/ ASD
Moderate to high correlations were found b/w strength and agility and all fitness
measures, EXCEPT body comp
oIndividuals w/o ASD
Strength and agility was the ONLY composite that was ss correlated w/ fitness
measures
Moderate correlations found b/w PACER test and curl up test
Discussion
oFindings indicated that adolescents with ASD performed significantly poorer on all motor
proficiency measures, compared with adolescents without ASD. The results also
indicated that adolescents with ASD demonstrated lower cardiovascular endurance,
upper-body muscular strength and endurance, and lower-body flexibility than
adolescents without ASD. For adolescents with ASD, significantly positive associations
were found between total motor composite and all physical fitness components, except
body composition. Body coordination and the strength and agility composites primarily
contributed to these findings.
oAdolescents with ASD demonstrated less-proficient motor skills than adolescents
without ASD, and our findings are consistent with those of previous studies (Berkeley et
al., 2001; Green et al., 2009; Staples and Reid, 2010), which reported that youths with
ASD displayed poorer motor skills than typically developing youths. This may be
attributable to the poorer social skills (American Psychiatric Association, 1994) or the
lack of physical skills and motivation in adolescents with ASD (Pan et al., 2011a) because
these variables may play a role in the practice and refinement of motor skills.
Practical applications
TRAINING SPEED AND AGILITY IN ATHLETES WITH AUTISM
oRemoval of equipment stimuli that will take away focus
oTraining in isolation vs group may be more beneficial to maximize focus
oUSE TABLE 3 FOR PP
PA interventions
oPA interventiosn should target motor learning w/ ambulant support, such as…to
encourage lifestyle PA and to maintain motor abilities in daily life
Explicit instruction
Prompting
Consistent reinforcement
oin adolescents with ASD, low motor competence may also reflect an underlying delay or
impairment in the development of motor skills. Poor levels of motor proficiency in
adolescents with ASD may represent an additional aspect of ASD symptomatology.
Findings support the notion that an assessment of the motor skills of people with ASD is
required,
oPeople with ASD have heterogeneous motor-skill profiles. A standard motor-skill
assessment is therefore recommended for individuals with ASD, to provide interventions
tailored to the specific symptoms of each person.
Motivating adolescents with ASD and featuring individualized training adapted for adolescents
with ASD may improve their overall fitness. This can be achieved by including typically
developing adolescents as participants in activities, resulting in both groups of youths feeling
closer and more connected to one another. This can also be achieved by establishing a
noncompetitive, stimulating environment using certain basic teaching strategies for people
with ASD, such as organizing and structuring events into routines, using visual schedules and
work systems to facilitate learning, establishing clear boundary markings, and focusing on
individual strengths of ASD youths to create a respectful and long-lasting working relationship.
To continue participating in sports and recreational activities as children grow older, it is
important that the developmental needs of children with ASD be addressed as early as possible.
Traditional school physical education and sports programs may not sufficiently address the needs
of adolescents with ASD. Therefore, improving sports-related motor skills, such as dribbling,
throwing, dropping, catching, and jumping, of adolescents with ASD should be a priority because
many lack proficiency in these skills
The lower level of motor proficiency and physical fitness in adolescents with ASD requires
increased attention and immediate intervention. Physical education teachers can increase
enjoyment and active participation of all students by using typically developing peers as
intervention agents, such as in-peer tutoring and peer-assisted learning, to teach students with
ASD motor skills (Ward and Ayvazo, 2006). Physical education teachers can also encourage all
students to participate in fun physical activities together to help students with ASD fulfill their
need to be an integral part of the class as a whole (Pan et al., 2011a). These studies were
performed in inclusive settings providing empirical support for peer-mediated intervention
(Ward and Ayvazo, 2006) and self-determined motivation (Pan et al., 2011a) as successful
strategies for increasing motor skills and physical fitness levels for youths with ASD.
TRAINING SPEED AND AGILITY IN ATHLETES WITH AUTISM
Bricout, V.-A., Pace, M., Dumortier, L., & et al. (2019). Motor capacities in boys with high
functioning autism: Which evaluations to choose? Journal of Clinical Medicine, 8(10), 1521.
https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm8101521
“Motor capacities in boys w/ high functioning autism: which evaluations to choose?”
Purpose
oProvide overall profile of motor capacities in children w/ ASD compared to
neurotypically developed children through specific tests
oIdentify which motor tests best discriminate children w/ or w/o ASD
Methods
o22 ASD males and 20 control males
oCompleted evaluation w/ 42 motor tests from European physical fitness test battery
(EUROFIT), the physical and neurological exam for subtle signs (PANESS), and the
movement assessment battery for children (M-ABC)
Results – TABLE 2 AND 3
oASD group
Flexibility, explosive power, and strength scores (p<.01) were ss lower than
control
Ss difficulties in children w/ ASD for dexterity and ball skills (p<.001)
Discussion
oThe present study focused on the motor capacities of children with ASD and on motor
tests to assess the motor capacities of children. Our results confirmed that children with
ASD displayed poorer gross motor skills than CONT children even though individual
variability was considerable in this population. Some motor impairments were well
identified in the studies of children with ASD. They reported fine and gross motor
coordination, muscle tone, strength, praxis, performance of repetitive movement, subtle
neurological signs of overflow, dysrhythmia, and motor discontinuity [13,27,32,33,34].
The conclusions of these works were convergent and could be used to estimate the
existence of motor deficits in children with ASD.
oThese results also confirmed the importance of motor stimulation at a very early age in
order to develop a complete motor profile, adequate skills, and to increase their
effectiveness. To develop the physical fitness of the child, a regular physical activities
program combining components of aerobic, strength, flexibility and dexterity exercises,
ball games and neuromuscular training for maximum gains in fitness and body
composition is recommended
oAlthough impaired motor activity is not included in the diagnosis of ASD, motor skill
difficulties appeared to be an observable trend
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