The Effects of Positive Normative Feedback on Learning a Throwing Task among Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Background: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a severe developmental disorderwhich leads to physical disability. Positive normative feedback can promotemotor learning. Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects ofpositive normative feedback on learning a throwing task among children with ASD.Methods: This quasi‑experimental study was carried out on twenty children with ASDwho aged 6–10 years. Children were assigned to a positive normative feedback anda control group. In the positive normative feedback group, children were trained tothrow beanbags to a target point on the ground with their nondominant arms. Theacquisition phase included six ten‑trial sets. Children in both groups received veridicalfeedback after each trial. However, children in the positive normative feedbackgroup also received bogus feedback (scores, which were 20% greater than theiractual scores) about their performance in each set. A retention test was performed 24 hafter the acquisition phase. The independent sample t‑test and the repeated measuresanalysis of variance were used to analyze the data. Results: There was no significantdifference between the groups regarding the performance mean score at baseline.Moreover, despite increases in the performance mean scores over time in both groups,between‑group differences in the acquisition and the retention phases were notstatistically significant (P 0.05). Conclusion: Positive normative feedback does nothave significant motivational effects on motor learning among children with ASD.