Compensatory exercise program as a possible health-oriented activity for individuals with autism spectrum disorder

Kód výsledku v IS VaVaI

<a href="https://www.isvavai.cz/riv?ss=detail&h=RIV%2F49777513%3A23420%2F24%3A43972928" target="_blank" >RIV/49777513:23420/24:43972928 - isvavai.cz</a>

Výsledek na webu

<a href="https://www.iase.org/_files/ugd/6cc07a_294eefef378a49acbfcabd0cf086dd17.pdf" target="_blank" >https://www.iase.org/_files/ugd/6cc07a_294eefef378a49acbfcabd0cf086dd17.pdf</a>

DOI - Digital Object Identifier

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Jazyk výsledku

angličtina

Název v původním jazyce

Compensatory exercise program as a possible health-oriented activity for individuals with autism spectrum disorder

Popis výsledku v původním jazyce

Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are one of the most serious childhood neurodevelopmental disorders. It is a congenital disorder of brain functions that arises on a neurobiological basis. In practice, this means that these children have a problem in the area of social integration, communication and imagination (Ješina &amp; Kudláček, 2011). It is important to emphasize that there are no typical cases. Each individual on the autism spectrum is unique, and according to Gillberg &amp; Peeters (2003), differences outweigh similarities. A common feature is primarily stereotypical to ritualistic behavior, worse acceptance of changes, liking unusual objects, limited verbal and non-verbal communication skills and lack of interest in social interaction (Thorová, 2016). From the point of view of motricity of children with ASD, the results of professional studies reveal that most children (according to Thorová, 2006 up to 80%) show differences and deficits in this area compared to intact children. Delayed motor development is often the primary reason for parents&apos; concern and subsequent diagnosis at a young age of the child. On the recommendation of the pediatrician, an examination by a pediatric neurologist and a physiotherapist is recommended. Vojta Therapy and exercises according to Bobath Concept are most often applied at an early age. But the problem arises with the child&apos;s growing age, when parents in particular lack an offer of suitable physical activities for children with disabilities. A big challenge is integrating a child with ASD into a social group and adopting a new regime. According to Gillberg &amp; Peeters (2003), the most common motor difficulties of preschool and school-age children include significant deficiencies in coordination abilities, manifested especially in the areas of balance, distance and depth estimation, and fine motor skills. Regarding postural deviations, it was found by Nazary et al. (2016) that children with ASD show an increased prevalence of increased thoracic kyphosis, scoliosis and medial knee collapse. When preparing exercise units for individuals with ASD, it is necessary to keep in mind that the task of the instructor is mainly to convey the activity to the pupils in such a way that they understand its content as much as possible. For this we can use the means of structuring and visualization (Možná &amp; Válková, 2022). For individuals with ASD, the easiest and most popular activity is the individual one, especially if we choose the help of an assistant. Learning by imitating an activity of the instructor, as well as other pupils, works very well. Physical education classes in schools can be very difficult for students with ASD, even though these individuals do not show any movement limitations. The problem can be verbal instructions, which can be too abstract for them and harder to understand. It is important, especially in the beginning, for the pupil to always visualize the exercise in such a way that he understands it. It is advisable to use a work schedule in the gymnasium, which helps the pupil to predict what will be done in the lesson and increases his independence during the lesson. Furthermore, we have to take the demands of the environment (noise, acoustics, lights, etc.) into account. For individuals, the most important benefit is the development of fundamental motor skills in the area of functional skills, which are necessary to perform the movements required in everyday life (Eichstaedt &amp; Lavay, 1992). Lack of movement coordination in children with disabilities is reflected in their quality of life and negatively affects, among other things, their mental health and position in the group. According to Bhat et al. (2011), there is a developmentally important link between motor impairments and social communication impairments in autistic individuals. We took all the mentioned aspects into account and based on long-term cooperation with the civic association ProCit, z.s. during the Covid-19 pandemic, we introduced individual lessons of compensatory exercises. First, they were carried out in a one-on-one mode and then when the pandemic measures were eased in a small group in a gym of the Faculty of Education, University of West Bohemia in Pilsen. Targeted and individually adapted compensatory exercises for children optimize body posture and the condition of the flat feet, have a positive effect on the perception of the body scheme and thus contribute to the awareness of tension and relaxation in muscles and the relative position of individual body segments. We primarily choose activities that do not require creativity, imagination, knowledge of language, mitigate inappropriate behavior, and on the contrary improve coordination of movements and possibly physical fitness. During the lessons, it is important to expect a higher demand for assistants, as children with moderate-functioning autism or greater motor difficulties will work best in an individual one-on-one mode. Nevertheless, a wider social group of participants is suitable as support for practicing social skills, integration into a group and cooperation. These non-competitive and non-limiting activities generally develop the child in terms of his motricity and social contacts. Based on the findings published on the appropriateness of various movement interventions developing motor competencies in intact children, we decided to apply selected specific movement activities to the target group of children with ASD. It seems appropriate to use the means of health physical education, relaxation and breathing exercises, psychomotricity and physiotherapy. With this targeted intervention, we want to contribute to improving the level of motor and social competencies of these individuals as well as to a better quality of their everyday life. Although the effects of inactivity and social isolation on children with disabilities have already been sufficiently described and experts draw attention to them (e.g. Ješina &amp; Kudláček, 2011; Kampasová et. al., 2022; Bauminger &amp; Kasari, 2000; Hymas et al., 2022), a set of methodically conducted movement activities, which would be available when working with these children, is currently missing. The number of integrated children with neurodevelopmental disorders in schools is increasing, but apart from relatively well-processed special pedagogical interventions and psychosocial therapies, we lack verified methodologies for movement activities with children with ASD that would be suitable for their motor development and could be included to teaching in primary and secondary schools. The main output of our investigation is therefore a set of suitable methodologies aimed at these children, summarizing and unifying proposed movement activities verified in practice.

Název v anglickém jazyce

Compensatory exercise program as a possible health-oriented activity for individuals with autism spectrum disorder

Popis výsledku anglicky

Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are one of the most serious childhood neurodevelopmental disorders. It is a congenital disorder of brain functions that arises on a neurobiological basis. In practice, this means that these children have a problem in the area of social integration, communication and imagination (Ješina &amp; Kudláček, 2011). It is important to emphasize that there are no typical cases. Each individual on the autism spectrum is unique, and according to Gillberg &amp; Peeters (2003), differences outweigh similarities. A common feature is primarily stereotypical to ritualistic behavior, worse acceptance of changes, liking unusual objects, limited verbal and non-verbal communication skills and lack of interest in social interaction (Thorová, 2016). From the point of view of motricity of children with ASD, the results of professional studies reveal that most children (according to Thorová, 2006 up to 80%) show differences and deficits in this area compared to intact children. Delayed motor development is often the primary reason for parents&apos; concern and subsequent diagnosis at a young age of the child. On the recommendation of the pediatrician, an examination by a pediatric neurologist and a physiotherapist is recommended. Vojta Therapy and exercises according to Bobath Concept are most often applied at an early age. But the problem arises with the child&apos;s growing age, when parents in particular lack an offer of suitable physical activities for children with disabilities. A big challenge is integrating a child with ASD into a social group and adopting a new regime. According to Gillberg &amp; Peeters (2003), the most common motor difficulties of preschool and school-age children include significant deficiencies in coordination abilities, manifested especially in the areas of balance, distance and depth estimation, and fine motor skills. Regarding postural deviations, it was found by Nazary et al. (2016) that children with ASD show an increased prevalence of increased thoracic kyphosis, scoliosis and medial knee collapse. When preparing exercise units for individuals with ASD, it is necessary to keep in mind that the task of the instructor is mainly to convey the activity to the pupils in such a way that they understand its content as much as possible. For this we can use the means of structuring and visualization (Možná &amp; Válková, 2022). For individuals with ASD, the easiest and most popular activity is the individual one, especially if we choose the help of an assistant. Learning by imitating an activity of the instructor, as well as other pupils, works very well. Physical education classes in schools can be very difficult for students with ASD, even though these individuals do not show any movement limitations. The problem can be verbal instructions, which can be too abstract for them and harder to understand. It is important, especially in the beginning, for the pupil to always visualize the exercise in such a way that he understands it. It is advisable to use a work schedule in the gymnasium, which helps the pupil to predict what will be done in the lesson and increases his independence during the lesson. Furthermore, we have to take the demands of the environment (noise, acoustics, lights, etc.) into account. For individuals, the most important benefit is the development of fundamental motor skills in the area of functional skills, which are necessary to perform the movements required in everyday life (Eichstaedt &amp; Lavay, 1992). Lack of movement coordination in children with disabilities is reflected in their quality of life and negatively affects, among other things, their mental health and position in the group. According to Bhat et al. (2011), there is a developmentally important link between motor impairments and social communication impairments in autistic individuals. We took all the mentioned aspects into account and based on long-term cooperation with the civic association ProCit, z.s. during the Covid-19 pandemic, we introduced individual lessons of compensatory exercises. First, they were carried out in a one-on-one mode and then when the pandemic measures were eased in a small group in a gym of the Faculty of Education, University of West Bohemia in Pilsen. Targeted and individually adapted compensatory exercises for children optimize body posture and the condition of the flat feet, have a positive effect on the perception of the body scheme and thus contribute to the awareness of tension and relaxation in muscles and the relative position of individual body segments. We primarily choose activities that do not require creativity, imagination, knowledge of language, mitigate inappropriate behavior, and on the contrary improve coordination of movements and possibly physical fitness. During the lessons, it is important to expect a higher demand for assistants, as children with moderate-functioning autism or greater motor difficulties will work best in an individual one-on-one mode. Nevertheless, a wider social group of participants is suitable as support for practicing social skills, integration into a group and cooperation. These non-competitive and non-limiting activities generally develop the child in terms of his motricity and social contacts. Based on the findings published on the appropriateness of various movement interventions developing motor competencies in intact children, we decided to apply selected specific movement activities to the target group of children with ASD. It seems appropriate to use the means of health physical education, relaxation and breathing exercises, psychomotricity and physiotherapy. With this targeted intervention, we want to contribute to improving the level of motor and social competencies of these individuals as well as to a better quality of their everyday life. Although the effects of inactivity and social isolation on children with disabilities have already been sufficiently described and experts draw attention to them (e.g. Ješina &amp; Kudláček, 2011; Kampasová et. al., 2022; Bauminger &amp; Kasari, 2000; Hymas et al., 2022), a set of methodically conducted movement activities, which would be available when working with these children, is currently missing. The number of integrated children with neurodevelopmental disorders in schools is increasing, but apart from relatively well-processed special pedagogical interventions and psychosocial therapies, we lack verified methodologies for movement activities with children with ASD that would be suitable for their motor development and could be included to teaching in primary and secondary schools. The main output of our investigation is therefore a set of suitable methodologies aimed at these children, summarizing and unifying proposed movement activities verified in practice.

Druh

O - Ostatní výsledky

CEP obor

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OECD FORD obor

50302 - Education, special (to gifted persons, those with learning disabilities)

Projekt

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Návaznosti

I - Institucionalni podpora na dlouhodoby koncepcni rozvoj vyzkumne organizace

Rok uplatnění

2024

Kód důvěrnosti údajů

S - Úplné a pravdivé údaje o projektu nepodléhají ochraně podle zvláštních právních předpisů