Effectiveness of Sports Games in Reducing Stereotypic Behaviors in Children with Autism

DOI: https://doi.org/10.62517/jmhs.202505414

Author(s)

Zuqin Lu1,2, Siqi Zhong3, Huimin Li1,2

Affiliation(s)

1Guangdong Key Laboratory of Special Children's Development and Education, Zhanjiang, China 2School of Educational Sciences, Lingnan Normal University, Zhanjiang, China 3Zijin County School for Intellectual Disabilities, Heyuan, China

Abstract

Under the context of China's increasing emphasis on children with autism and the continuous enrichment of therapeutic approaches, there remains limited research on the application of sports games to intervene in stereotypic behaviors. This study aims to explore the effectiveness of sports games in intervening stereotypic behaviors among children with autism. An A-B-A single-subject research design was implemented to intervene with three stereotypic behaviors (hand-biting, nose-picking, and self-talk) in an 11-year-old child with autism. Multi-dimensional sports games based on sensory integration theory were designed and administered over a 30-day intervention period. The results showed that the frequency of hand-biting decreased to an average of 5.20 times/day during the maintenance phase, and nose-picking decreased to 2.40 times/day, with stable intervention effects. However, self-talk showed no significant improvement (p>0.05). Additionally, improvements were observed in the participant's tactile perception, proprioception, and vestibular sensation functions. The conclusion indicates that sports games can effectively reduce stereotypic behaviors driven by sensory stimulation, but demonstrate limited effectiveness on behaviors motivated by multiple factors.

Keywords

Children with Autism; Sports Games; Stereotypic Behaviors; Sensory Integration; Behavior Intervention; Rehabilitation Training

References

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