Abstract: (16 Views)
Background & Objective: Paying attention to children and taking care of their growth and health not only ensures a healthy life in childhood, but also provides the conditions for enjoying a healthy life in adulthood. Today, it has become clear that there is a specific and special time for social development, and at this time the basis of social behaviors must be formed in the child, and only after that he can establish appropriate social interaction. Therefore, one of the important stages of life is childhood. This period is so important in terms of social development and adaptation of the child in the future that it should be called the period of correction and correction of children's social behavior. Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder that begins in childhood and affects one in five children, and at the same time, its prevalence continues to increase. Weak eye contact, poor social interaction, and repetitive and stereotyped behaviors, especially behaviors that strongly stimulate their sensory systems, are common problems for these individuals. Healthy children naturally participate in motor activities, but it has been observed that autistic children do not participate properly in motor activities and group games, and as a result, they are unable to progress in most developmental areas. Using physical activities in the form of games and various methods of perceptual-motor exercises is one of the most enjoyable educational activities that is very useful in treating and improving the mental and motor indicators of these children. Interventions related to games and physical activities in autistic children cause changes in their challenging behaviors, and the result is that challenging behaviors stop and change their direction towards other behaviors. The findings also show that acquiring play skills early in life may prevent the increase in challenging behaviors in autistic children. Today, there are several intervention methods to improve social relationships and reduce the problems of children with autism spectrum disorders. Physical activities are one of the most important of these intervention methods. The overall aim of the present study was to compare the effect of a period of functional training program and selected physical activity on the social development of children with autism spectrum disorders.
Methods: The statistical population of the study included all 8-10 year old children with autism disorder in Zanjan city in the academic year 1403-1404. In this study, 36 children with autism disorder were selected as samples using purposive sampling method based on the autism spectrum measurement questionnaire from the autism treatment center and schools in the city that met the inclusion criteria and were randomly assigned to three groups of 12 people; including the selected physical activity group, the functional training group, and the control group. The research method was applied and semi-experimental in terms of purpose and the research design included pre-test, post-test with a control group. After grouping, participants participated in a pre-test, including social development scale. Then, the training groups practiced for six weeks, three days a week (45 minutes per session), for a total of 18 sessions, according to the desired training program. The control group did not have a specific training program during this period and continued with their daily activities. At the end of the training period, all three groups participated in a post-test (similar to the pre-test). In order to analyze the data, analysis of covariance and Bonferroni post-test were used at a significance level of 0.05 using SPSS version 24 and Excel software.
Results: The results showed that both functional training program methods and selected physical activity have a significant effect on the social development of children with autism spectrum disorder. So that both selected physical activity training methods (p<0.001) and functional training (p<0.001) improved the social development of children with autism spectrum disorder. Also, in comparing the two groups, the findings showed that there was no significant difference between the effect of selected physical activity and functional exercises on the social development of children with autism spectrum disorder (P=0.99) and both intervention methods improved the social development of children with autism spectrum disorder to an almost equal extent.
Conclusion: Finally, the present findings showed the effectiveness of the intervention methods of functional exercise program and selected physical activity on the social development of children with autism spectrum disorder. Therefore, it is recommended that educators, parents, and caregivers of motor development emphasize the use of perceptual-motor exercises and activities and functional exercises in order to improve the social development index of children with autism spectrum disorder.
Methods: The statistical population of the study included all 8-10 year old children with autism disorder in Zanjan city in the academic year 1403-1404. In this study, 36 children with autism disorder were selected as samples using purposive sampling method based on the autism spectrum measurement questionnaire from the autism treatment center and schools in the city that met the inclusion criteria and were randomly assigned to three groups of 12 people; including the selected physical activity group, the functional training group, and the control group. The research method was applied and semi-experimental in terms of purpose and the research design included pre-test, post-test with a control group. After grouping, participants participated in a pre-test, including social development scale. Then, the training groups practiced for six weeks, three days a week (45 minutes per session), for a total of 18 sessions, according to the desired training program. The control group did not have a specific training program during this period and continued with their daily activities. At the end of the training period, all three groups participated in a post-test (similar to the pre-test). In order to analyze the data, analysis of covariance and Bonferroni post-test were used at a significance level of 0.05 using SPSS version 24 and Excel software.
Results: The results showed that both functional training program methods and selected physical activity have a significant effect on the social development of children with autism spectrum disorder. So that both selected physical activity training methods (p<0.001) and functional training (p<0.001) improved the social development of children with autism spectrum disorder. Also, in comparing the two groups, the findings showed that there was no significant difference between the effect of selected physical activity and functional exercises on the social development of children with autism spectrum disorder (P=0.99) and both intervention methods improved the social development of children with autism spectrum disorder to an almost equal extent.
Conclusion: Finally, the present findings showed the effectiveness of the intervention methods of functional exercise program and selected physical activity on the social development of children with autism spectrum disorder. Therefore, it is recommended that educators, parents, and caregivers of motor development emphasize the use of perceptual-motor exercises and activities and functional exercises in order to improve the social development index of children with autism spectrum disorder.
Keywords: Functional Training, Physical Activity, Social Development, Childhood, Autism Spectrum Disorder.
Type of Study: Original Research Article |
Subject:
Psychology
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