TITLE:
Efficacy of 6-Month Adapted Aerobic Program on Motor Proficiency, BMI and Cognitive Abilities of Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder: Three Case Reports
AUTHORS:
Georgia Strofylla, Sofia Charitou, Katerina Asonitou, Dimitra Koutsouki
KEYWORDS:
Autism Spectrum Disorder, Motor Proficiency, Body Mass Index (BMI), Waist Circumference, Cognitive Abilities, Adapted Aerobic Program
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Social Sciences,
Vol.9 No.9,
September
7,
2021
ABSTRACT: Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) face particular
difficulties that impact their opportunities
to participate in regular physical activities. According to the recent
literature, exercise seems to have numerous benefits for students with ASD such
as improvements in fundamental motor skills, balance and in physical fitness
generally. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the efficacy of
6-months adapted aerobic program on motor performance, Body Mass Index (BMI)
and cognitive abilities in three adolescent boys with ASD. The study included
two phases: baseline and post test. Motor performance of participants with ASD
was evaluated with the Movement Assessment Battery for Children-Second Edition
and cognitive abilities were assessed with the Cognitive Assessment System.
Participants were administered also anthropometric measures (weight, height,
waist circumference). Results indicated that participation in the aerobic
program can improve participants’ motor proficiency, body composition and
cognitive abilities. Developing exercise intervention programs to improve motor
proficiency, physical fitness and cognitive abilities of children and youth
with ASD should be a priority by the community in order to increase their
overall health-related physical fitness.