The Effect of Selected Physical Exercises on Gross Motor Skills of Autistic Children

ABSTARCT: The aim of the present research was to study the effect of selected physical exercises on gross motor skills of autistic children. In this quasi-experimental study, 20 autistic children (9.7 ± 2.35 years) were selected from 30 autistic children in Tehran charitable organizations with respect to the severity of autism (CARS=moderate). Based on the results of the pretest, the participants were divided into an experimental group and a control group. The experimental group undertook 24 sessions of selected physical exercises (SPARK program) which includes basic motor strengthening activities, games, and sports for children. The instrument of the research was Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency (BOTMP). The normal distribution of data was examined using Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, and correlated and independent t-test were applied at the 0.05 significance level to compare the means of male and female groups.24 sessions of the selected training program led to significant changes in all the variables of the research except running speed and agility and bilateral coordination. Considering the results of the present study, it can be argued that the administered exercises, which are adopted from SPARK program, can improve the gross motor skills of autistic children.