Acquisition and Retention Effects of Fundamental Movement Skills on Physical Activity and Health-Related Fitness of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

• Published in: Healthcare (Basel) Vol. 12; no. 13; p. 1304
• Main Authors: Xing, Yu, Liu, Haoyan, Wu, Xueping
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 01.07.2024
• Subjects: autism spectrum disorder; Autistic children; children; Chronic illnesses; Demographic aspects; Disability; Disease; Exercise; Exercise for children; fundamental movement skills; health-related fitness; Intervention; Motor ability; Participation; physical activity; Physical fitness; Physical fitness for children; Physiological aspects; Psychological aspects; Retention; Skills; Teenagers; Training; China; fundamental movement skills; autism spectrum disorder; children; health-related fitness; physical activity
• ISSN: 2227-9032; 2227-9032
• DOI: 10.3390/healthcare12131304

This study adopted a quasi-experimental design to explore the effects of fundamental movement skill intervention on the acquisition and retention of physical activity levels and health-related fitness in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). In the experiments, 11 children received fundamental motor skill training (12 weeks, 60 min/session, 4 times/week), and 10 children maintained traditional physical activity. Assessments were performed using an ActiGraph GT3X+ accelerometer, health-related fitness pre-post intervention, and 1-month follow-up tests. The sedentary time during physical activity was significantly decreased ( = 0.01), and there were large changes in health-related physical fitness indicators, including significantly improved body composition (body mass index, F(1,19) = 8.631, = 0.03, partial η = 0.312), muscle strength and endurance (sit-ups, F(1,19) = 3.376, = 0.02, partial η = 0.151 and vertical jumps, F(1,19) = 5.309, = 0.04, partial η = 0.218), and flexibility (sit and reach, F(1,19) = 36.228, = 0.02, partial η = 0.656). Moreover, the follow-up tests showed that the children's sedentary time continued to reduce, and the muscle strength and endurance (sit-ups, F(1,19) = 4.215, = 0.01, partial η = 0.426) improved continuously after the intervention. Based on this study, actionable and regular fundamental movement skill programs can be provided in the future as an effective way to achieve the healthy development goals of children with ASD.