Brief Report: Coaching Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder in a School-Based Multi-Sport Program

Abstract

While physical activity (PA) is often overwhelming for people with ASD, appropriate engagement strategies can result in increased motivation to participate and associated physical and psychosocial benefits. In this framework, the multi-sport Supporting Success program aims to inform good-practice coaching strategies for community coaches to engage with adolescents with ASD in order to foster socialisation. The project employs a community development approach and a Participatory Action Research (PAR) design. Methods include ongoing consultation, focus groups, briefing/debriefing sessions and questionnaire surveys. Preliminary findings indicate that coaching strategies and program design are fundamental variables in the use of sport/PA to help adolescents with ASD to develop social skills and share positive experiences with peers, coaches, educators and local community members.

Approaches to Inclusion and Social Participation in School for Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Conditions (ASC)—a Systematic Research Review

“…Students' A 7 Rosso (2016). "Brief report: Coaching adolescents with autism spectrum disorder in a school-based multi-sport program"…”

A social relational analysis of an impairment-specific mode of disability coach education

“…Autism is a lifelong, complex neurodevelopmental disorder that affects the way that people perceive and understand the world around them. ASD are characterised by what is commonly known as a triad of impairments (Rosso, 2016) Developed by a leading charity for people with ASD, the course aimed to improve the sporting experiences of people with ASD by delivering a series of workshops to coaches, sport and physical activity professionals. In so doing, the initiative aimed to increase the confidence and skills of participants in the hope that creating inclusive sporting environments would improve the levels of participation of people with ASD, and subsequently their selfesteem and well-being.…”

“…The literature suggests that understanding an athlete's impairment is central to coaching success in disability sport (Wareham et al, 2017;Tawse et al, 2012). Indeed, while coaches play a significant role in planning, delivering and shaping high quality sporting experiences for people with ASD (Rosso, 2016), a common barrier to disabled peoples' participation in sport and physical activity is a lack of knowledgeable, qualified and 'inclusive' coaches (Wareham et al, 2017;Martin & Whalen, 2014). A common barrier that coaches identified prior to attending the course was the lack of attention given specifically to ASD within their previous coaching education.…”

“…I would say the key things that I've learned are structure because autistic players like structure. (Coach -reflection) Whilst the analysis of data highlights how the course attempted to facilitate a critical dialogue, it also suggests that 'awareness' was built on largely medicalised understandings relating to the social and behavioural impairments associated with ASD (e.g., low motivation, poor motor functioning, difficulties in self-monitoring, socialising, planning and generalisation (Rosso, 2016). Therefore, despite the well-intentioned effects of social model discourses, coaches began to construct understandings of ASD that were largely based on their dominant but implicit medical model discourses.…”

“…This can be problematic, as a lack of professional training and knowledge can act as a barrier to inclusion, hence reproducing the very structures that can limit disabled people (Oliver, 1996). For example, people with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are one of the most inactive populations (Rosso, 2016), and a significant barrier to inclusion is that coaches lack access to specialised support and knowledge (Rosso, 2016;McMaster et al, 2012). Therefore, research on disability coach education is timely, as, Ohrberg (2013) argued, high-quality training and education for coaches is "the essential component" (p. 54) in creating an 'inclusive' coaching workforce.…”