Effects of an in-line skating program in students with high functioning autism spectrum disorder and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

Approximately 80 children (autism spectrum disorder [ASD], n = 40; attention deficit hyperactivity disorder [ADHD], n = 40), aged 6-12 years, were recruited to participate in the study. Participants were matched by age and sex within each disability group, and then randomly assigned to an inline skating experimental group (ASD Group One, n = 20; ADHD Group One, n = 20) or a wait-list control group (ASD Group Two, n = 20; ADHD Group Two, n = 20). Group One received the in-line skating program in the first phase of 12 weeks (80 minutes per day, two days a week), followed by the second assessment and a return to baseline physical activity for the second phase of 12 weeks. Group Two participants received the intervention during the second 12-week phase and maintained baseline physical activity during the first phase. Each training session included 15 minutes of warm-up, 60 minutes of motor skill and cardiovascular training, and 5 minutes of cooldown. Examples of basic inline skating skills included: marching in a standing position, properly falling and getting up, two-foot forward gliding, marching while moving, forward swizzling, backward acceleration drills, forward parallel turning, forward snowplow stopping, half swizzle pumps in a circle, and left and right forward balance turning. The national inline skating coach taught each session, and the primary investigator supervised all the sessions. The ratio of research assistants to study participants varied from 1:2 to 1:1, depending on the attendance of students on each day. This inline skating intervention program was conducted on the multipurpose ball court in the University where the primary investigator worked. Session attendance checklists were used to monitor adherence to the intervention. No physical or informational materials were provided.