EVALUATION OF PARENTS' THOUGHTS ON EFFECTS OF SPORTS ON CHILDREN DIAGNOSED WITH AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER

The aim of this study was to assess opinions of families whose children are diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders on the impact of participation in sports on children. The research was carried out using qualitative method in a phenomenological design. The study group consists of 8 families of children with autism spectrum disorders that are doing sports for at least one year, and those families are selected according to "convenience sampling" of purposeful sampling methods. The data were collected by a semi-structured individual interview form based on review of literature, expert opinions and pilot practice. Content analysis technique was used to analyze the collected data. The questions in the interview form were designed to cover the development of children's motor skills, mental skills, daily life skills, problematic behaviors, social skills and sporting branches. According to research findings, it has been found that children's motor skills, mental skills, daily life skills, problematic behaviors, social life skills and sport skills have been developed and changed positively in so many ways. Article visualizations