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Dong L, Shen B, Pang Y, Zhang M, Xiang Y, Xing Y, Wright M, Li D, Bo J. FMS Effects of a Motor Program for Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders. Percept Mot Skills 2021; 128:1421-1442. [PMID: 33874799 DOI: 10.1177/00315125211010053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
The current study evaluated the effectiveness of a motor program that specifically targeted fundamental motor skills (FMS) in children with ASD. The experimental group (n=21) participated in a 9-week program with motor instructions for 80 minutes/day, three days/week, while the control group (n=29) did not participate in the program. We measured FMS (using the Test of Gross Motor Development-3) one-week before, one-week after, and two-months after the program. Children in the experimental group had significantly larger FMS improvements than the controls on both locomotor and ball skills immediately following the program, and these participants showed continuous improvement on locomotor, but not ball skills, at 2-months follow-up. In individual analyses, 80% of children in the experimental group versus 29% of children in the control group showed continuous locomotor skills improvement beyond their pre-test levels. These findings highlight the importance of both a long-term motor development intervention and an individualized approach for evaluating improved FMS among children with ASD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liangshan Dong
- School of Physical Education, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, China
| | - Bo Shen
- Division of Kinesiology, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan, United States
| | - YanLi Pang
- School of Physical Education, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, China
| | - Mingting Zhang
- School of Physical Education, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, China
| | - Yuan Xiang
- School of Physical Education, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, China
| | - Yu Xing
- School of Physical Education, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, China
| | - Morgan Wright
- Department of Psychology, Eastern Michigan University, Ypsilanti, United States
| | - Dan Li
- LinJie Autism Rehabilitation Center, Wuhan, China
| | - Jin Bo
- School of Physical Education, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, China.,Department of Psychology, Eastern Michigan University, Ypsilanti, United States
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Motor Capacities in Boys with High Functioning Autism: Which Evaluations to Choose? J Clin Med 2019; 8:jcm8101521. [PMID: 31546634 PMCID: PMC6832130 DOI: 10.3390/jcm8101521] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2019] [Revised: 09/13/2019] [Accepted: 09/16/2019] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The difficulties with motor skills in children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) has become a major focus of interest. Our objectives were to provide an overall profile of motor capacities in children with ASD compared to neurotypically developed children through specific tests, and to identify which motor tests best discriminate children with or without ASD. Twenty-two male children with ASD (ASD—10.7 ± 1.3 years) and twenty controls (CONT—10.0 ± 1.6 years) completed an evaluation with 42 motor tests from European Physical Fitness Test Battery (EUROFIT), the Physical and Neurological Exam for Subtle Signs (PANESS) and the Movement Assessment Battery for Children ( M-ABC). However, it was challenging to design a single global classifier to integrate all these features for effective classification due to the issue of small sample size. To this end, we proposed a hierarchical ensemble classification method to combine multilevel classifiers by gradually integrating a large number of features from different motor assessments. In the ASD group, flexibility, explosive power and strength scores (p < 0.01) were significantly lower compared to the control group. Our results also showed significant difficulties in children with ASD for dexterity and ball skills (p < 0.001). The principal component analysis and agglomerative hierarchical cluster analysis allowed for the classification of children based on motor tests, correctly distinguishing clusters between children with and without motor impairments.
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