Effects of physical activity program on psychomotor and psycho-social characteristics of autistic children

The aim of this study was to examine the effect of Physical Activity Program (PAP) on psychomotor and psychosocial characteristics of autistic children. In this study, a mixed-methods sequential exploratory design consisting of two stages, quantitative and qualitative, was used. The research group consisted of a total of 40 participants (girls n = 20, boys n = 20), aged between 8 and 12 years, with 20 in the control group (CG) and 20 in the experimental group (EG). EG participated in the PAP for 60 min a day, 3 days a week for 10 weeks. Gilliam Autistic Disorder Rating Scale-2 (GARS-2), Bruininks-Oseretsky motor competence test-2 short form (BOT-2 SF), Eurofit Test Battery, Pediatric Quality of Life Form and Social Skills Rating System Parent Form were used in the study. Mann Whitney U test was used for two-group comparisons of parameters that did not show normal distribution, and Wilcoxon signed-rank test was used to examine the changes between pretest and posttest measurements. Significance was evaluated at p < 0.05 level. The thematic analysis method was used for the focus group interview, one of the qualitative research methods.After PAP, a statistically significant difference was found in favor of EG in all subtests of GARS-2 and in total standard scores (p < 0.05). The increase in all subtests and total scores of the BOT-2 was higher in favor of the EG (p < 0.05), and an increase in performance in all subtests of the Eurofit test battery was detected (p < 0.05). The positive effects of PAP on social skills and quality of life were supported by qualitative findings, but quantitative findings did not reveal a significant change (p > 0.05). Effect size analyses showed that the program produced moderate effects on autistic symptoms (r = 0.3-0.5), very large effects on motor skills (r = 0.8-1.5), and large effects on physical fitness variables (r = 0.6-0.9). 10 weeks of PAP applied to autistic children seems to be sufficient to provide positive effects on motor skills, physical fitness and autistic disorder index, but longer programs are needed for more striking effects on quality of life and social skills.