Autism is one of the most prominent and widely recognized conditions characterized by difficulty with social and adaptive behavior skills. Although motor skills are not considered as a core feature in the diagnosis of autism, difficulty performing age-appropriate motor skills affects up to 83% of students with autism. Motor delays and deficits have been found the most significant barriers for children with autism to participate in physical activities and engage with their peers. Many children with autism depend on structured environment (e.g., structured motor program with direct instruction and adult support) to access to the activities. To date, no prior studies have examined the effectiveness of using structured motor program intervention (CHAMPPS-A) on motor, social and adaptive behavior skills and use randomized control trial (RCT).
This proposed study will adapt a structured motor program, CHildren in Action: Motor Program for PreschoolerS (CHAMPPS)[57] for children with autism (CHAMPPS-A). Adapted CHAMPPS-A will be included a structured motor program combined with components of sensory and behavior strategies for preschoolers with autism. A RCT experimental design will be conducted. Participants will be 40 children aged 3-5 years with autism (Intervention group: n = 20; control group: n = 20). The purpose of this proposed study is to examine the differences in changes in motor, social, and adaptive skills between intervention and control group, maintenance of three skills after the CHAMPPS-A intervention, and feasibility and acceptability of the CHAMPPS-A intervention.
Descriptive statistics will be conducted to characterize the study sample. To examine the impact of the proposed intervention using quantitative data, a linear mixed-effects model will be used to determine predicted mean values at each assessment point and to test the study hypotheses with respect to between-group differences over the entire study period. To examine the change of outcomes across four time points among children in intervention group, a within-subjects mixed model will be used. To examine the qualitative data yielded through the caregiver interviews, a thematic analysis will be conducted as outlined by Braun and Clarke.[75]
