Indicators of Behavioral Adaptability and Physical Fitness of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders

Abstract

Topicality. In recent years, more and more children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) have been enrolled in educational institutions in Ukraine and around the world, and the trend of their number is increasing. Motor activity helps to reduce cases of problematic and aggressive behavior, has a positive effect on the adaptability of daily skills of children with ASD. The issue of selecting effective means of physical therapy for correcting everyday adaptive skills and abilities of children with ASD remains open to a large extent. The Purpose of the study is to find out the indicators of adaptive behavior of children with ASD, to compare the indicators of boys and girls; to compare indicators of physical fitness of children with different levels of behavioral adaptability. Methods of the Research. The participants are 24 schoolchildren (19 boys and 5 girls) aged 10–11 with ASD attending this institution. To assess the degree of adaptive behavior, the CARS observation method was used. Physical fitness was determined using 18 test exercises. The Research Results. It was found that the girls had a slight degree of deviations from the norm by two indicators (adaptation to changes and response and use of smell, touch and taste), while by the most indicators they had an average degree of adaptive behavior, and on three criteria (nervousness and fears, verbal communication and general impression) – a significant degree of violations. Whereas the boys had an average degree of deviations on most indicators, they did not have indicators with an insignificant degree of maladaptation, but on four indicators, such as general impression, as well as attitude to people, emotional response, verbal communication – a significant degree of deviations in behavioral adaptability. The degree of behavior disorders in the sample of boys and girls practically did not differ and indicated a significant degree of behavioral adaptability violations of the studied contingent. The obtained data indicate the need to develop PЕ programs in order to increase the level of adaptability to the children with ASD. The result of standing long jumps improved significantly, and every other indicator of physical fitness tended to improve with increasing degree of adaptability of children with ASD. It has been established that the measures of adaptability of behavior of children with ASD can be improved with means that contribute to the development of dexterity and speed strength of the legs, arms and abdominal press. Conclusions. It is rational to increase the amount of appropriate means in the PЕ programs of such children in order to improve the adaptability of behavior.