Integrating autistic children into physical education and recreation programs

¶ … Integrating Children with Autism into a Physical Activity and Recreation Setting

The purpose of this study was to examine the patterns of behavior of children who were severely handicapped and autistic as they were integrated into a physical education and exercise program (Schleien, et al., 1987). The desire was to determine whether the social and behavioral skills of these children were improved after they had been exposed to an exercise and physical education program, or whether there was no difference seen. The way that the handicapped children were treated by the other children in the program - who were not handicapped - was also examined, in an effort to draw conclusions about how individuals treat those who are different and whether those differences cause children to shun others or accept them. Only two handicapped children were used for the study, and they were eight and eleven years old (Schleien, et al., 1987). Measures of improvement were assessed by the researchers at the end of the study, in order to see if there were any differences made by the physical activity and exercise program, as well as by the way these children were treated by their peers, so further recommendations could be made.

Review of the Literature

Literature into the subject of autism and physical activity was reviewed by the authors of the study. That literature indicated that there was a growing trend toward physical fitness in the United States, and that exercise could benefit people of all different types and activity levels. Discovering the human body and the feats of which it is capable can be valuable information for people, no matter what handicaps they may face in their lives. Additionally, physical exercise can contribute to mental health and well-being, which is an issue that must be carefully considered when it comes to autistic individuals and those how have other kinds of handicaps. How much a person can do from a physical standpoint is significant, but any exercise is often considered to be better than no exercise at all. The literature also indicated that handicapped individuals can take great joy out of physical activity of some kind, especially when it includes interaction with others (Schleien, et al., 1987).

Not everyone has the opportunity to engage in physical activity that is planned and that involves others. People who have severe handicaps, either mental, physical, or both, are generally still on the fringes of society, and they are not afforded the opportunity to enjoy activity in the way that others are. With children, this is even more pronounced, because schools and other facilities have not integrated these children into physical education and exercise classes and other opportunities to a high degree. Recreational settings at schools and in the community at large are generally not prepared for handicapped individuals (Schleien, et al., 1987). Because that is the case, it can be difficult for anyone who is handicapped to find ways in which he or she can interact with others and still get physical activity in a controlled and planned environment. There is little being done to change this.

Because the environments are not readily available for these kinds of children, they and their parents and caregivers can be left struggling to find individuals who will help them and places where they can play and enjoy themselves in the least restrictive environment (Schleien, et al., 1987). It makes sense that these children need to be protected from harm, but it does not make sense that they must be denied the joy of play and exercise and interaction simply because they have limitations over which they have no control. This is at the crux of the issue of exercise and handicapped children.

Research Methods

Subjects

The subjects of this study were two handicapped and autistic children. One was eight years of age and the other was eleven years of age (Schleien, et al., 1987). These children were placed into the study with 67 non-handicapped children, and all were enrolled in the University of Minnesota Children's Sport Fitness School (CSFS). Based on developmental and autistic testing, both of the children were far "younger" than their peers from a development standpoint. Subject 1 was classified as 27-31 months, and Subject 2 was classified as 35-38 months (Schleien, et al., 1987). In short, both subjects had the mental capacity of a child who was in the 2.5 to 3-year-old age range. Both of these subjects received high scores on assessments performed to measure their level of disability, where the higher the score was the more it indicated that disability was an issue for these children.

Subject 1 engaged in moaning, crying, and tantrums. Subject 2 was more likely to grab objects from peers, scream, and perform behavior that could be self-injurious (Schleien, et al., 1987). Both children went to public elementary school, but attended classes in a special wing of the school that was designed for handicapped and autistic children. They did not have interaction at school with non-handicapped peers. In the summer, the students were enrolled in CSFS with other students, all of whom were not considered to be handicapped or autistic. The autistic and handicapped children were placed into the program by their caregivers in an effort to provide them with further interaction with others.

Setting

The setting for this study was the CSFS program, which lasts for three weeks in the summer. It is conducted on the University of Minnesota campus, which provided a gymnasium, a gymnastics room, an outdoor sports field, and a swimming pool (Schleien, et al., 1987). Any supplemental equipment that was necessary for the activity planned for the attendees was also available.

Staff/Training

The staff of the summer program were salaried graduate students, all of whom were working toward their Masters or Doctorate in Physical Education. Their previous contact with handicapped students was limited, so they attended a "Special Friends" presentation before they worked with the students (Schleien, et al., 1987). They also discussed any concerns or issues with safety, treatment, and understanding of students who were autistic, handicapped, or different in some way.

Procedures

All recreational preferences of the handicapped children were identified by their parents, as well as the special education teacher and adapted physical education teacher at their school. This was done to determine whether the preferences influenced the children's behavior in various settings. All children were registered and received uniforms. The ability of the handicapped students was assessed during the first week of the program (Schleien, et al., 1987). That allowed the staff to make a determination of what was appropriate from an activity level basis. The researchers could also use that information to see if there were differences in behavior after the program had been completed. The "Special Friends" presentation was shown to all the non-handicapped children, and a "buddy" was selected for each handicapped student for each week of the program (Schleien, et al., 1987).Volunteering children were selected first, because they showed interest in helping the handicapped children.

Program Implementation

Activities were scheduled for each day, and breaks were also scheduled to give the children rest periods in between periods of being active. The students all received instruction in fitness concepts (Schleien, et al., 1987). The students were grouped, and each group moved through different activities during the day. Then there was a 30-minute recreation period at the end, where everyone could play together. The planned activities were both competitive and cooperative, and helped the children improve their motor skills and learn to work with one another (Schleien, et al., 1987).

Summary of the Data Gathered

The collected data showed that the handicapped students were significantly better at interaction with their peers and at motor skills than they were at the start of the program (Schleien, et al., 1987). This led the researchers to believe that exercise and interaction had affected the way these handicapped children felt about play and about working with others. Both attitude and behavior were measured by trained observers, rendering the study less subjective than it might otherwise have been.

What Was Learned

In reading this article, much was learned. Even though the article is older, it still has much relevance for today. That is true both for researchers and for people who are handicapped or who are caregivers for the handicapped. Not that much has changed in the way children treat others and the way those children should be treating others. While it is possible that children have become less friendly and kind where their peers are concerned, younger children are still more likely than older children to be accepting and to avoid mistreating their peers simply because those peers are different from them. Being different is not a crime, and when it comes to handicaps or difficulties such as autism, it is not even something that can be controlled. Still, many people judge others who are different, make fun of them, or treat them poorly in other ways.

Studies such as this one remind individuals that handicapped people cannot help how they were born, and they cannot control many of their behaviors. However, there are some behaviors that can be better controlled - and interaction and compassion often help them move forward as much as they are able. That was the case with this study, as the children who treated the handicapped children well really helped them to focus on the tasks at hand and the rules they were required to follow. Many autistic children have trouble following directions, and they have outbursts that are unacceptable and sometimes excessive in nature. With that in mind, exercise and physical education classes have to be tailored to them or modified to allow them entry. Still, that does not mean they cannot participate, or that they should not be allowed to participate in something that gives them interaction with non-handicapped children and that clearly brings them joy.

Recommendations for Further Research

Research into this issue is highly significant and important, because handicapped children are often ignored and pushed to the fringes of society. That is true in all aspects of life, but certainly has been seen to be the case when it comes to physical education and exercise programs. Often, this is done because these children cannot keep up with their peers, and because they are not reliable in the way they might react. Still, there are ways of accommodating these children that will allow them to enjoy their lives as much as possible and that will give them valuable interaction with others. Further research into the issue of handicapped children and physical activity should be conducted with a larger group of students. It is significant that the two children in the study were improved in their behavioral skills, but it does not provide a complete picture of the value of this kind of interaction among a statistically significant group of children.

In the future, a larger group of students would help the researchers make a better determination of how accurate the information in this study actually is, or whether there is an anomaly with this particular study. Additionally, the way the two children were treated by their peers should be separated and studied apart from the activities in which the children took place. In other words, do the children act more appropriately because of the activity or because of the interaction? With that in mind, separate studies would provide clarity about the status of the handicapped children and whether they were helped more by activity or interaction. While both may be significant, and they may work well together, there is still the possibility that one is much more important than the other. A determination of this must be made, and that would be the direction other researchers should take in the future.