Increasing physical activity and self-determination for individuals with autism spectrum disorder

Despite the important benefits of physical activity, many people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have difficulty participating long enough to reap the rewards. Poor motor skills, difficulty planning movements, problems functioning in open environments, and low motivation combine to make sustained participation a challenge. This dissertation is a series of three studies designed to develop and assess intervention, based on self-determination theory, which promotes sustained physical activity for adolescents and young adults with ASD functioning at the low end of the spectrum. The studies were carried out at a high school for students with intellectual disabilities over three consecutive years. The results of studies and 2 were used to adapt the intervention to meet the needs of this population. Recent research has shown that when people act in a self-determined manner they become more engaged in what they are doing. The intervention for study I included one self-determination skill, self-monitoring. Goal-setting was added during study 2, this resulted in participants setting goals and self-monitoring as they walked and jogged. The intervention for the third study included 3 self-determination skills: goal-setting, self-monitoring, and self-reinforcement. The self-determination attitude of self-efficacy was measured during study 3 to better understand the relationship between self-efficacy and physical activity for individuals with ASD. Distance walked, jogged, or cycled, increased during studies 1 and 3. Visual methodologies were used during studies 2 and 3 to provide these participants with severe communication problems the opportunity to share their experiences during the physical activity with the researchers. Participants and teachers interpreted the facial expressions, which were captured with photographs, in terms of affect but their interpretations did not always match. The participants indicated that enjoyment of the activity increased over the duration of the physical activity program but this was not always obvious to the teachers. It was concluded that interventions which include self-determination skills increase engagement and enjoyment during physical activity for adolescents and young adults with ASD