Behavioural Improvements in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder after Participation in an Adapted Judo Programme Followed by Deleterious Effects during the COVID-19 Lockdown

Abstract

The public health lockdown prompted by the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, which included school closures that may have potentially serious consequences for people with disabilities or special educational needs, disrupted an ongoing adapted judo training intervention in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). The purpose of this study was to compare repetitive behaviours, social interaction, social communication, emotional responses, cognitive style and maladaptive speech scores across four time-points: baseline, after an eight-week control period, after an eight-week judo intervention and after an eight-week lockdown period due to COVID-19. The sample consisted of 11 children diagnosed with ASD according to the criteria of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders—Fifth Edition (DSM-V), with an intelligence quotient (IQ) range between 60 and 70. Significant improvements were shown following the judo intervention period compared to the baseline and control periods. However, the same values significantly declined during the COVID-19 lockdown period resulting in values lower than those recorded at baseline, and following the control period and the judo intervention. The decline in psychosocial and behavioural scores are likely due to the stress caused by the sudden halt in activity and the increase in sedentary practices associated with the lockdown.

Improving motor skills and psychosocial behaviors in children with autism spectrum disorder through an adapted judo program

“…After participating in the long-term adapted judo program, the children with ASD significantly reduced psychosocial behavioral ratings. The results are similar to those found in our previous work following an eight-week intervention ( Morales et al, 2021 ). In both cases, significant improvements were recorded on six of the subscales of the GARS-3, although the list of scales with significant differences was not the same in the two studies.…”

“…The sessions consisted of judo-specific tasks preceded by a warm-up and ending with a cool-down. As previously employed in other studies of our research group ( Morales et al, 2021 ), the judo-specific content of the sessions included:…”

“…The GARS-3 is an instrument used to assess changes in the severity of ASD behaviors. As described in a previous work of our research group ( Morales et al, 2021 ), the GARS-3 includes 56 items describing characteristic behaviors of individuals with ASD. The items are grouped into six subscales: repetitive behaviors (RB), social interaction (SI), social communication (SC), emotional responses (ER), cognitive style (CS), and maladaptive speech (MS).…”

“…Indeed, a recent systematic review ( Pečnikar Oblak et al, 2020 ) highlights the health and psychosocial benefits that people with mental disabilities can gain from participating in adapted judo programs. Short-term judo programs have reduced repetitive behaviors and improved social communication, interaction, and emotional responsiveness ( Morales et al, 2021 ). At the same time, a study with an eight-week intervention ( Rivera et al, 2020 ) found a decrease in aggressive behaviors among children with ASD who had taken part in an adapted judo program.…”

The feasibility of a family-based judo program for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

“…Additionally, judo may have bene cial effects on families of youth with ASD [13]. Families of children with ASD tend to experience a greater level of stress compared to families of NT children [14][15][16][17][18].…”