title: School-Based Fundamental-Motor-Skill Intervention for Children With Autism-Like Characteristics: An Exploratory Study.
abstract: The purpose of this pilot study was to demonstrate the impact of a fundamental-motor-skill (FMS) intervention on the motor skills of 3- to 7-year-old children with autism-like characteristics in an early intervention classroom. A secondary purpose was to qualitatively assess the impact of the program as described by the classroom's special education teacher. All children in the classroom (N = 5) took part in an FMS intervention for two 6-wk blocks (fall 2013 and winter 2014). Motor-skill proficiency and social skills were assessed at 3 times: baseline, after Block 1 of the intervention, and after Block 2 of the intervention. In addition, an interview was conducted with the classroom teacher after Assessment 3 to draw further insights into the relative success and impact of the program. Results were analyzed through a visual analysis and presented individually. They indicated improvements in the participants' individual FMS and social-skill scores, possible improvements in declarative knowledge, and an increase in the special education teacher's readiness to teach FMS; further research with larger, controlled samples is warranted.
authors.affiliation: Dept. of Kinesiology, McMaster University, Hamilton, ONT, Canada.
authors.forename: Emily
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Bremer
authors.forename: Meghann
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lloyd
mesh_terms: D001321:Autistic Disorder / Q000628:therapy*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004519:Education, Special; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009048:Motor Skills; D009864:Ontario; D012574:Schools; D066107:Social Skills