Social Skill Outcomes Following Physical Activity-Based Interventions for Individuals on the Autism Spectrum: A Scoping Review Spanning Young Childhood Through Young Adulthood.

Researchers posit that physical activity (PA) settings may provide an increased opportunity for social interaction. However, little consensus exists regarding the construct of social skills. Moreover, little is known about what type or amount of PA is necessary for individuals on the autism spectrum to benefit from this increased interaction. Thus, this scoping review synthesized the components (e.g., design, participants, independent and dependent variables, etc.) and findings of PA-based interventions that included social skill components to identify how interventions have incorporated these skills in different settings. Based on a review of 25 articles, this review revealed a great deal of variability in the types of PA, social skills, and instruments studied, as well as the intensity of intervention delivery in the published findings. No longitudinal studies were identified as a part of the search. These results provide a foundation for the design of effective PA-based interventions that may have an increased impact on the social skills of individuals on the autism spectrum. Future research should employ longitudinal designs to capture the relationship between social skills and PA, as well as to increase the likelihood of capturing change.

Capabilities, Opportunities, and Motivation: Exploring Fitness Program Experiences of Adults with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities.

Although there are many benefits to regular engagement in physical activity, adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities often do not engage in or near the recommended amount of physical activity. Barriers, such as lack of perceived capability, accessible environments, transportation, social support, and or knowledgeable support staff, may limit participation in physical activity. The present study used qualitative methods to explore the experiences of adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities enrolled in a fitness program. We used field observations and photo-elicited semi-structured interviews to explore what capabilities, opportunities, and motivations facilitate or hinder engagement in fitness classes and their experiences in the program. We used the COM-B model to deductively interpret and analyze the data through thematic analysis. Major themes were identified around types of support and preferences for physical over sedentary activities. Instructor, client, and family support were identified as important in facilitating interest, engagement, and skill. Dependency on others for financial and transportation support was also reported as important for participants to access the fitness program. This study provides valuable insight into the interactions and experiences of adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities, including what keeps them engaged in a fitness program as it relates to capabilities, opportunities, and motivation.

"Just Invite Us": Autistic Adults' Recommendations for Developing More Accessible Physical Activity Opportunities.

Background: Autistic adults engage in lower levels of physical activity (PA) than their nonautistic peers, and over 60% do not meet national guidelines for PA. In addition, autistic adults face myriad barriers to PA participation that can make accessing activities challenging. To support the inclusion of autistic adults in PA, this study sought to explore first-hand recommendations for PA participation from autistic adults' perspective. Methods: We interviewed 23 autistic adults aged 18 to 75 years about their PA experiences across their lifespan, including querying the participants' recommendations for supporting autistic adults in PA. A qualitative descriptive design with a constructivist lens guided the thematic analysis. Results: The analysis resulted in two overarching themes: (1) It's helpful to have someone there to support; and (2) It's that sensory thing, it always is. Each theme includes participant-provided recommendations to guide professionals in the field of PA. Conclusions: The autistic adult voice, long absent from conversations about PA, is a valuable and needed addition to understand how to improve PA experiences for this population. Recommendations from this study include (1) listening to the perspectives and insight of autistic adults, (2) consideration of sensory stimulus when planning for PA participation, and (3) encouraging and providing social supports for PA participation. Lay summary: Why was this study done?: Autistic adults have many health concerns such as anxiety, depression, and obesity. Physical activity can improve these health concerns. Yet, professionals lack knowledge about how to provide optimal physical activity experiences for autistic individuals. Very little research has engaged autistic adults to directly ask their recommendations about their own physical activity needs.What was the purpose of this study?: This study wanted recommendations from autistic adults on how to make physical activity more accessible and enjoyable. By doing this, the authors hope to increase the voices of autistic adults in physical activity research.What did the researchers do?: The researchers asked 23 autistic adults for their recommendations on how to improve physical activity experiences.What were the results of the study?: Participants' responses were grouped into two categories: (1) It's helpful to have someone there to support and (2) It's that sensory thing, it always is. The first theme highlights the social supports that many autistic adults feel they need to be successful. Supports include individuals within the close social circles of the autistic adults, such as parents, friends, and other close people. They can also include professionals, such as teachers or exercise trainers. The second theme highlights the need to address the sensory sensitivities of the individual before activity can take place; if an environment or activity is not "sensory friendly" or is not accommodating, then autistic adults are less likely to engage.What do these findings add to what was already known?: Autistic adults face many barriers to physical activity participation. These findings offer first-hand accounts by autistic adults about how to improve their physical activity experiences. These results also offer ideas on how to increase physical activity engagement for autistic individuals. Other research has focused on improving physical activity in those who are autistic, but this research is rarely from the perspective of the autistic individual. This study is one of a very small number of studies that has done this and is the first to ask autistic adults to give recommendations for physical activity participation.What are potential weaknesses in the study?: This study only interviewed autistic adults who prefer to communicate verbally, and so the study sample is not representative of all autistic adults. Many participants in the sample were from the United States, and autistic adults in other countries may have different opinions about physical activity participation. Finally, the researchers may have recruited individuals with an interest in physical activity-autistic adults who are not interested or dislike physical activity may have different recommendations.How will these findings help autistic adults now or in the future?: This study will help professionals provide more appropriate physical activity experiences to autistic adults. Also, this research could help practitioners and researcher make physical activity spaces more welcoming and enjoyable for autistic adults.

A grounded theory of adoption and maintenance of physical activity among autistic adults.

BACKGROUND: Although a growing body of literature has explored the physical activity experiences from the perspective of children on the autism spectrum, the perspective of autistic adults remains largely unheard. Due to this absence of perspective, there exists limited knowledge of the appropriateness and generalizability of current models and theories of physical activity for this population. METHODS: A constructivist grounded theory study was conducted to explore the experiences of adoption and maintenance of physical activity from the direct perspective of autistic adults. Autistic adults (n = 23) from the United States and the United Kingdom were recruited. RESULTS: A total of 29 codes emerged from the coding process. These codes were formed into four broad categories: (1) individual attributes; (2) environmental factors; (3) social relationships; and (4) social experiences. The interconnectedness of these four categories was explored. CONCLUSIONS: The findings and presented model highlight the importance of building successful experiences for young children on the autism spectrum, so that they are more likely to continue physical activity into their adult life. Furthermore, findings emphasize the importance of creating noncompetitive, sensory-friendly physical activity experiences for autistic adults that offer flexibility in social engagement. LAY ABSTRACT: Little is known about how autistic adults experience physical activity. To begin to change this, we interviewed 23 autistic adults from the United State and the United Kingdom about their past and current experiences of physical activity participation. The interviewees told us about how their physical activity experiences were highly influenced by their individual strengths, the setting in which the activity took place, the presence of people to support their physical activities, and the sensory experiences they had while in physical activity. Through these interviews, we were able to create a model that represented the physical activity experiences discussed. Based on the model that emerged from this study, we recommend physical activity opportunities are made available that are noncompetitive, sensory-friendly, and that allow for participants to socialize as they prefer.

Adapted Physical Educators' Perspectives of Educational Research.

Purpose: Educational research often provides insight into the potential best practices to use within the classroom setting. Yet, limited information is available on teachers' perspectives toward research in the field of adapted physical education (APE). The current study examined adapted physical educators' perceptions toward research. Method: Sixty general physical education and APE associations within the United State of America were emailed a survey adapted from the National Center for Research Policy and Practice. Results: One hundred twenty-four adapted physical educators were included within the study. Spearmen correlations and frequency counts of open-ended responses were used to analyze the data. Overall, findings indicated that a majority of participants had conducted research, with most participants mentioning it helped them learn more about a particular issue they were facing. Adapted physical educators reported a high rate of engagement with research and that research has a positive impact on important issues, such as behavior management and advocating for students with disabilities. Although positive overall perceptions toward educational research were reported, several items that related to the usefulness and accessibility of research were ranked quite low. In addition, it was found that higher levels of education and years of experience were correlated with lower perceptions toward the validity and usefulness of research. Conclusion: This study highlights the important role research plays in the practice of adapted physical educators; however, researchers need to present their research findings in a more practical way for teachers to translate to their own situations.

A multiple-method review of accommodations to gross motor assessments commonly used with children and adolescents on the autism spectrum.

The purpose of this study is to understand the common accommodations used during standardized motor assessment of children on the autism spectrum. This study was completed in three parts: (1) a narrative review of the literature; (2) an open-ended survey sent to the first authors of the identified articles; and (3) a descriptive analysis of responses. Results revealed that 56.7% of the identified articles did not report enough information of assessment procedures, 18.9% followed the assessment manual, 16.9% provided accommodations on a needs basis, and 7.5% used a consistent modified protocol. Individual responses showed that extra demonstrations (n = 5) were the most frequent accommodation, followed by extra breaks (n = 3), picture cards (n = 2), and hand-over-hand assistance (n = 1); some respondents stated that they did not provide accommodations. The findings indicate that a clear set of accommodation for motor skill assessments does not exist, though some commonalities were reported. Further research is necessary to understand the impact of accommodations in the assessment process, as well as which accommodations are needed and/or effective.

Exploring the Interaction of Motor and Social Skills With Autism Severity Using the SFARI Dataset.

Social communicative deficits and stereotyped or repetitive interests or behaviors are the defining features of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). A growing body of research suggests that gross motor deficits are also present in most children with ASD. This study sought to understand how pediatric ASD severity is related to motor skills and social skills. A multivariate analysis of variance analysis of 483 children with autism ( N = 444) and ASD ( N = 39) revealed a nonsignificant difference between groups. Results suggest little difference between severity groups on gross motor and social skills within the limited age range of the participants (about 5.6 years of age).