European Journal of Adapted Physical Activity 10, 17-27 (2017) | DOI: 10.5507/euj.2017.003

Experiences of children with autism spectrum disorders in adapted physical education

Josephine Blagrave
Department of Kinesiology, California State Univesity, Chico, USA

School-age children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are rarely asked to describe their experiences within the programs that they receive and are largely missing from the narrative of their own lives. Current literature on the experiences of children with ASD have focused on special education classrooms, sensory perceptions, and general physical education classes and no prior studies have addressed how middle school-age children with ASD perceive their adapted physical education (APE) experience. Data were collected from participants (N = 10) through a drawing, an observation in their APE setting, and an interview. Themes identified were enjoyment in participation, the influence of peers and family members in participation, and the sensory experience of APE. Children with ASD were able to communicate their experiences in adapted physical education settings services and the barriers and facilitators that exist both in class instruction and transfer of the skills learned into everyday movement experiences.

Keywords: first-hand accounts, barriers, facilitators

Published: March 31, 2017  Show citation

ACS AIP APA ASA Harvard Chicago Chicago Notes IEEE ISO690 MLA NLM Turabian Vancouver
Blagrave, J. (2017). Experiences of children with autism spectrum disorders in adapted physical education. European Journal of Adapted Physical Activity, 10(1), 17-27. doi: 10.5507/euj.2017.003
Share...
Download citation
  • BibTeX (.bib)
  • Bookends (.ris)
  • EasyBib (.ris)
  • EndNote (.enw)
  • EndNote 8 (.xml)
  • ISI WoS (.isi)
  • Medlars (.medlars)
  • Mendeley (.ris)
  • MODS (.xml)
  • Papers (.ris)
  • RefWorks (.txt)
  • RefManager (.ris)
  • RIS (.ris)
  • MS Word (.xml)
  • Zotero (.ris)
    • Open full article

    References

    1. Adapted Physical Education Guidelines in California School. (2012). California State Council on Adapted Physical Education. Retrieved from http://www.califstatecouncilape.org/california-ape-guidelines.html
    2. American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.). Arlington, VA: American Psychiatric Publishing. Go to original source...
    3. Bardus, M., Blake, H., Lloyd, S., & Suggs, S. L. (2014). Reasons for participating and not participating in an e-health workplace physical activity intervention: A qualitative analysis. International Journal of Workplace Health Management, 7(4), 229-246. doi:10.1108/IJWHM-11-2013-0040 Go to original source...
    4. Bronfenbrenner, U. (1977). Toward an experimental ecology of human development. American Psychologist, 32(7), 513-531. doi:10.1037/0003-066X.32.7.513 Go to original source...
    5. Carter, M., Stephenson, J., Clark, T., Costley, D., Martin, J., Williams, K., Browne, L., … Bruck, S. (2014). Perspectives on regular and support class placement and factors that contribute to success of inclusion for children with ASD. Journal of International Special Needs Education, 17(2), 60-69. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.9782/2159-4341-17.2.60 Go to original source...
    6. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2015). Autism spectrum disorder. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/data.html
    7. Cook, J. L., Blakemore, S. J., & Press, C. (2013). Atypical basic movement kinematics in autism spectrum conditions. Brain, 136(9), 2816-2824. doi:10.1093/brain/awt208 Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    8. Darbyshire, P., MacDougall, C., & Schiller, W. (2005). Multiple methods in qualitative research with children: more insight or just more? Qualitative Research, 5(4), 417-436. doi:10.1177/1468794105056921 Go to original source...
    9. Ding, D. (2004). Ecological models: Application to physical activity. Encyclopedia of Health and Behavior, 1, 288-291. doi: http://link.springer.com/referenceworkentry/10.1007%2F978-1-4419-1005-9_1125
    10. Fleischmann, A. (2012). Carly's voice: Breaking through Autism. New York, New York. Simon and Schuster.
    11. Goddard, L., Dritschel, B., & Howlin, P. (2014). A preliminary study of gender differences in autobiographical memory in children with an autism spectrum disorder. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 44(9), 2087-2095. doi:10.1007/s10803-014-2109-7 Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    12. Grandin, T. (2011). The way I see it: A personal look at autism and Asperger's. Arlington, TX: Future Horizons.
    13. Grinker, R. R. (2015, May). Who owns autism? Exceptionalism, stigma, and stakeholders. Paper presented as Keynote Address at the International Meeting for Autism Research, Little America Hotel, Salt Lake City, UT.
    14. Gyurcsik, N. C., Spink, K. S., Bray, S. R., Chad, K., & Kwan, M. (2006). An ecologically based examination of barriers to physical activity in students from grade seven through first-year university. Journal of Adolescent Health, 38(6), 704-711. doi:10.1016/j.jadohealth.2005.06.007 Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    15. Hammersley, M. (2004). Phenomenology. In M. Lewis-Beck, A. Bryman, & T. Liao (Eds.), Encyclopedia of social science research methods (pp. 816-817). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. doi:10.4135/9781412950589.n708 Go to original source...
    16. Happé, F., & Frith, U. (2006). The weak coherence account: detail-focused cognitive style in autism spectrum disorders. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 36(1), 5-25. doi:10.1007/s10803-005-0039-0 Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    17. Healy, S., Msetfi, R., & Gallagher, S. (2013). "Happy and a bit Nervous": The experiences of children with autism in physical education. British Journal of Learning Disabilities, 41(3), 222-228. doi:10.1111/bld.12053 Go to original source...
    18. Higashida, N. (2013). The reason I jump: The inner voice of a thirteen-year-old boy with autism. New York, NY. Random House.
    19. Hume, C., Salmon, J., & Ball, K. (2005). Children's perceptions of their home and neighborhood environments, and their association with objectively measured physical activity: a qualitative and quantitative study. Health Education Research, 20(1), 1-13. doi:10.1093/her/cyg095 Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    20. Humphrey, N., & Lewis, S. (2008). What does "inclusion" mean for pupils on the autistic spectrum in mainstream secondary schools? Journal of Research in Special Educational Needs, 8(3), 132-140. doi:10.1111/j.1471-3802.2008.00115.x Go to original source...
    21. Huws, J., & Jones, R. (2008). Diagnosis, disclosure, and having autism: An interpretative phenomenological analysis of the perceptions of young people with autism. Journal of Intellectual and Developmental Disability, 33(2), 99-107 doi:10.1080/13668250802010394 Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    22. Jolley, R. P., O'Kelly, R., Barlow, C. M., & Jarrold, C. (2013). Expressive drawing ability in children with autism. British Journal of Developmental Psychology, 31(1), 143-149. doi:10.1111/bjdp.12008 Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    23. Kalvaitis, D., & Monhardt, R. M. (2012). The architecture of children's relationships with nature: a phenomenographic investigation seen through drawings and written narratives of elementary students. Environmental Education Research, 18(2), 209-227. Retrieved from: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13504622.2011.598227 Go to original source...
    24. Kana, R. K., Libero, L. E., Hu, C. P., Deshpande, H. D., & Colburn, J. S. (2014). Functional brain networks and white matter underlying theory-of-mind in autism. Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, 9(1), 98-105. doi:10.1093/scan/nss106 Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    25. Libertus, K., Sheperd, K. A., Ross, S. W., & Landa, R. J. (2014). Limited fine motor and grasping skills in 6-monthold infants at high risk for autism. Child development, 85(6), 2218-2231. doi:10.1111/cdev.12262 Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    26. Lonsdale, C., Rosenkranz, R. R., Peralta, L. R., Bennie, A., Fahey, P., & Lubans, D. R. (2013). A systematic review and meta-analysis of interventions designed to increase moderateto-vigorous physical activity in school physical education lessons. Preventive Medicine, 56(2), 152-161. doi:10.1016/j.ypmed.2012.12.004 Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    27. Loukusa, S., Mäkinen, L., Kussikko-Gauffin, S., Ebeling, H., & Moilanen, I. (2014). Theory of mind and emotion recognition skills in children with specific language impairment, autism spectrum disorder and typical development: group differences and connection to knowledge of grammatical morphology, word-finding abilities and verbal working memory. Internation Journal of Language & Communication disorders, 49(4), 498-507. doi:10.1111/1460-6984.12091 Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    28. McKenzie, T. L. (2002). Use of direct observation to assess physical activity. Physical activity assessments for health-related research. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics, 179-195.
    29. Miles, M. B., Huberman, A. M., & Saldana, J. (2013). Qualitative data analysis: A methods sourcebook. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
    30. Moran, J. M., Young, L. L., Saxe, R., Lee, S. M., O'Young, D., Mavros, P. L., & Gabrieli, J. D. (2011). Impaired theory of mind for moral judgment in high-functioning autism. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 108(7), 2688-2692. Retrieved from: http://www.pnas.org/content/108/7/2688.short Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    31. Nicholson, H., Kehle, T. J., Bray, M. A., & Heest, J. V. (2011). The effects of antecedent physical activity on the academic engagement of children with autism spectrum disorder. Psychology in the Schools, 48(2), 198-213. doi:10.1002/pits.20537 Go to original source...
    32. No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, Qualification for teachers and paraprofessionals, 20 U.S.C. § 6319 (2012).
    33. Obrusnikova, I., & Cavalier, A. (2011). Perceived barriers and facilitators of participation in after-school physical activity by children with autism spectrum disorders. Journal of Developmental and Physical Disabilities, 23(3), 195-211. doi:10.1007/s10882-010-9215-z Go to original source...
    34. Pitney, W., & Parker, J. (2009). Qualitative research in physical activity and the health professions. Champagne, IL: Human Kinetics.
    35. Prince-Hughes, D. (2004). Songs of the gorilla nation: My journey through autism. New York, NY: Crown.
    36. Qi, J., & Ha, A. S. (2012). Inclusion in physical education: A review of literature. International Journal of Disability, Development and Education, 59(3), 257-281. doi:10.1080/1034912X.2012.697737 Go to original source...
    37. Robison, J. E. (2008). Look me in the eye: My life with Asperger's. New York, NY: Random House.
    38. Robison, J. (2015, May). The lived experience of autism. Paper presented at the International Meeting for Autism Research, Salt Lake City, UT.
    39. Saldana, J. (2015). The coding manual for qualitative researchers. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
    40. Schurink, J., Hartman, E., Scherder, E. J. A., Houwen, S., & Visscher, C. (2012). Relationship between motor and executive functioning in children with pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified. Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders, 6(2), 726-732. doi:10.1016/j.rasd.2011.10.013 Go to original source...
    41. Schultz, T. R., Sreckovic, M. A., Able, H., & White, T. (2016). Parent-Teacher Collaboration: Teacher Perceptions of What is Needed to Support Students with ASD in the Inclusive Classroom. Education and Training in Autism and Developmental Disabilities, 51(4), 344. Retrieved from: http://search.proquest.com/openview/6e4cd569197be2a85e65183f712ade24/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=2032023
    42. Seese, R. R., Maske, A. R., Lynch, G., & Gall, C. M. (2014). Long-term memory deficits are associated with elevated synaptic ERK1/2 activation and reversed by mGluR5 antagonism in an animal model of autism. Neuropsychopharmacology, 39(7), 1664-1673. doi:10.1038/npp.2014.13 Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    43. Smith, J., Flowers, P., & Larkin, M. (2009). Interpretative phenomenological analysis: Theory, method and research. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
    44. Solomon, O. (2015, May). Emic and etic perspectives in the construction of authoritative knowledge on autism. Paper presented at the International Meeting for Autism Research, Salt Lake City, UT.
    45. Spencer, D. & Pearson, T. (2012). Test of Narrative Retell. Laramie, WY: Language Dynamics Group.
    46. Syriopoulou-Delli, C. K., Cassimos, D. C., & Polychronopoulou, S. A. (2016). Collaboration between teachers and parents of children with ASD on issues of education. Research in developmental disabilities, 55, 330-345. doi: 10.1016/j.ridd.2016.04.011 Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    47. Tammet, D. (2007). Born on a blue day: Inside the extraordinary mind of an autistic savant. New York, NY: Simon and Schuster.
    48. Thomas, E., & Magilvy, J. K. (2011). Qualitative rigor or research validity in qualitative research. Journal for Specialists in Pediatric Nursing, 16(2), 151-155. doi:10.1111/j.1744-6155.2011.00283.x Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    49. Todd, T., & Reid, G. (2006). Increasing physical activity in individuals with autism. Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities, 21(3), 167-176. Retrieved from http://foa.sagepub.com/ Go to original source...
    50. Whyatt, C., & Craig, C. M. (2013). Interceptive skills in children aged 9-11 years, diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders, 7(5), 613-623. Retrieved from http://sfxhosted.exlibrisgroup.com/ Go to original source...
    51. Williams, D. (2007). Nobody nowhere: The extraordinary autobiography of an autistic. London, England: Kingsley.
    52. Yerys, B. E., Antezana, L., Weinblatt, R., Jankowski, K. F., Strang, J., Vaidya, C. J., & Kenworthy, L. (2015). Neural correlates of set-shifting in children with autism. Autism Research, 8(4), 386-397. doi:10.1002/aur.1454 Go to original source... Go to PubMed...

    This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0), which permits use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original publication is properly cited. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.


    Return to the content