How Much Instructional Time Is Necessary? Mid-intervention Results of Fundamental Movement Skills Training Within ABA Early Intervention Centers

Abstract

Background: The purpose of this study was to explore the question of the minimal amount of instructional time needed to still be effective by assessing the efficacy at mid-intervention of an early fundamental movement skill (FMS) intervention for preschoolers with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Method: Fourteen preschoolers participated in this randomized controlled trial daily over 10 weeks (10 h total at mid-intervention). A two-factor mixed MANOVA tested the significance of group*time interactions for two dependent variables: object control and locomotor raw scores on the Test of Gross Motor Development-III. Results: Group*time interactions approached significance with large effect sizes on the vector of both dependent variables and in a univariate fashion on object control scores, but not locomotor scores. Conclusions: These findings hold relevance for physical educators working with young children with ASD, indicating that 10 h of FMS instruction, at least in this form, is not adequate to improve FMS.

Keywords: applied behavior analysis; autism spectrum disorder; intervention; motor skills; visual supports.

Figure 1

Box-and-whisker plots of total, locomotor, and ball skill raw scores by interventional group at baseline and mid-intervention. Higher scores indicate better motor performance.