Stereotypic behaviors in children with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) interfere with learning both social (Sigafoos et al., 2003) and academic (Oriel et al., 2011) skills. Previous research provides preliminary evidence that vigorous physical activity may decrease stereotypic behaviors (e.g., Levinson & Reid, 1993). However, it is yet to be determined what types of physical activities and under what conditions they can best decrease stereotypic behaviors while at the same time increase task engagement. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of two types of physical activities (object manipulation–OM; locomotor–LC) on stereotypic behaviors and task engagement in preschoolers with ASDs.
Method:
Participants were three boys with ASD (3-6 years) who exhibited stereotypic behaviors. Behaviorism served as the theoretical framework and a multi-element design (Morrison, Roscoe, & Atwell, 2011) was used. Each participant engaged in either OM or LC activities once per day. OM and LC were alternated across 16 sessions. Stereotypic behaviors and task engagement were measured in three consecutive 5-minute phases: pre-physical activity (Pre-PA), physical activity (PA), and post-physical activity (Post-PA) during each session. Both a preference assessment and a functional analysis were conducted so that preferred and developmentally appropriate items and activities were used.
Analysis/Results:
Partial-interval recording (6-sec) was used in order to determine the percentage of time participants exhibited stereotypic behaviors and as well as appropriate task engagement. All sessions were videotaped. Treatment fidelity on all sessions (100%) and interobserver agreement on 38% of randomly selected sessions were established (95% and 95%, respectively). When mean percentage differences (Post-PA versus Pre-PA) were calculated Participants 1, 2, and 3 exhibited fewer stereotypic behaviors for LC (-41%, -27%, & -37%, respectively), and more stereotypic behaviors for OM activities (11%, 10%, & 37%, respectively). For the same calculation, Participants 1 and 3 exhibited task engagement increases resulting from LC activities (23% & 26%, respectively) while the same participants exhibited decreases resulting from OM activities (-17% & -44%, respectively).
Conclusions:
Overall, when compared to OM activities it was found that LC activities were more effective in decreasing stereotypic behaviors while at the same time increasing task engagement. These results can be useful for practitioners when programming physical activities for children with ASDs who exhibit stereotypic behaviors.