Autism, Sport and Society: Conversations With Parents

Autism Spectrum Disorder

ASC, Sport and physical activity, Parent perceptions

In order to examine the experience of children with ASC in physical activity at home, at school, and in the local community, parents of children with ASC will be asked a number of open ended interview questions. To see if these experiences are unique to parents of children ASC, parents of non-ASC children will also be interviewed to allow for these perspectives to be compared and contrasted.

Background: 77% of boys and 80% of girls aged 5-15 in the UK fall below the national physical activity guidelines of 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous activity per day. Research shows children with an Autism Spectrum Condition (ASC) are even less physically active than their neurotypical, age related peers and as a result are at increased risk of cardiovascular diseases, metabolic disorders, low self-esteem and depression. This physical activity gap has been shown to increase as children get older. If a gap between the activity levels of children with ASC and the so called 'normal population' exists, there are a number of possible explanations for why this might be. Research points to either some facet of the autism spectrum causing difficulties engaging with a certain feature of a physical activity i.e. the physical environment in which activities take place which is difficult from the sensory point of view (noisy, busy, brightly lit) or lack of specific provision tailored towards children with ASC readily available in the local community. With repeated negative experiences, children and adults with ASC may come to believe these opportunities are 'not for them'. To date, there has been limited research conducted on the attitudes of young people with ASC to sport and physical activity. The research that has been conducted has mainly focused on interviewing the young people themselves to gather their perspectives. However, little is known about their parent's perceptions of sports participation or if parents value being physically active themselves. This is of particular interest as parental modelling has been shown to be a predictor of children's PA behaviours with a positive correlation between adult and child PA levels. Furthermore, parents may offer additional insights into barriers of physical activity beyond that of their children and this information could help to advise the sports sector on how clubs and leisure centres could offer a better experience for children with ASC. In order to examine the experience of children with ASC in physical activity at home, at school, and in the local community, parents of children with ASC will be asked a number of open ended interview questions. To see if these experiences are unique to parents of children ASC, parents of non-ASC children will also be interviewed to allow for these perspectives to be compared and contrasted.

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