Autism spectrum disorders are a group of development disorders that last for whole life and affect individual in the most important areas of their functioning. Problems affect neurological area resulting in disorders of perception of the body position. Often, these children do not participate in sports activities – the reason is social isolation, reduced communication skills, poor eye contact, and stereotype motor functions.
In the theoretical part of the graduation thesis, we highlighted the importance of physical activity for a child; we have described approaches in working with children with autism spectrum disorders. Through domestic and foreign literature, we have presented characteristics and deficiencies of the mentioned population in the area of physical activity. We have mentioned adapted physical activity and described two ways of assessment of motor skills – sports and educational records and questionnaire of ABC of movement 2.
For the purpose of the survey, we have chosen a sample of five boys with autism spectrum disorders, aged from 8 to 12 years, who attend an adapted educational program with a lower educational standard. Parents and professional workers assessed their motor competence, and we have evaluated motor skills using sports and educational records. The main purpose was to prepare physical activity program based on which we have determined whether we have managed to raise the level of motor skills of the chosen group of students during summer holiday. The results of the survey revealed that motor skills of all five participating students are below average in the initial testing for sport and educational record compared to peer population in Slovenia. Parents and professional workers detected presence of motor problems in all five boys. In four boys, we managed to improve motor skills by implementing physical activity program. Regular movement, also during summer holidays, can enable children with autism spectrum disorders to obtain better well-being and easier inclusion to the social environment at the beginning of new school year.
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