A randomized parent-mediated physical activity intervention for autistic children.

Researchers tested whether parents could help their autistic children (ages 4-11) develop better movement and ball skills through a 12-week program. Families received equipment and 200+ activities on a phone app. Children whose parents attended in-person workshops showed big improvements in running, jumping, and ball skills. Online training helped somewhat, but not as much. This suggests parents can effectively help their autistic children develop important physical skills.

This randomized controlled trial examined a 12-week parent-mediated physical activity intervention for autistic children aged 4-11 years (n=31 parent-child dyads). Participants were assigned to three groups: in-person workshop, online delivery, or control. Each intervention group received adapted physical activity equipment and access to over 200 activities via mobile application. Results showed large effect sizes for the in-person group (locomotor skills: 1.18, ball skills: 0.82), medium to small effects for online delivery (locomotor: 0.49, ball skills: 0.26), and minimal effects for controls (locomotor: 0.12, ball skills: 0.06).

The study suggests parent-mediated interventions can effectively improve fundamental motor skills in autistic children, with in-person delivery showing superior outcomes.

Parent-mediated physical activity interventions show promise for improving fundamental motor skills in autistic children. In-person parent training appears more effective than online delivery. Given the importance of motor skills for daily functioning and participation, this approach could be valuable for families and therapists working with autistic children.

Small sample size (n=31) limits generalizability. The abstract does not report statistical significance testing or confidence intervals for effect sizes. Long-term follow-up data not provided. No details about participant characteristics or intervention fidelity measures reported.

The purpose of this study was to examine the immediate and post effects of a parent-mediated physical activity intervention on the fundamental motor skills of autistic children. We randomly assigned parent-child dyads (n = 31) of autistic children aged 4-11 years into three groups (workshop, an online, or control group). Each dyad participated in a 12-week intervention and was given adapted physical activity equipment and over 200 activities via a mobile application. Children were tested at the start and end of the intervention.

The effect size (Cohen's) of the control group for pre-post locomotor and ball skill scores were 0.12 and 0.06, respectively, indicating small effect size. The effect size of the online group for pre-post locomotor and ball skill scores were 49 and 0.26, respectively, indicating medium and small effect sizes. The effect size of the in-person group for pre-post locomotor and ball skill scores were 1.18 and 0.82, respectively, indicating large effect sizes. The outcomes of this physical activity intervention suggest that parents may facilitate the acquisition of fundamental motor skills of their autistic children.

Although these results are positive, there is a need to further identify effective interventions for fundamental motor skill development in autistic children. Clinical Trials ID: NCT05159102.