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Intervention program for the management of emotions through movement activities for students with autism spectrum disorder–A Case Study (Master thesis)

Κοντογιάννη, Μαρία/ Kontogianni, Maria/ Δημιουργική και Προσαρμοσμένη Φυσική Αγωγή

People with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) have great difficulty in managing their emotions and self-control, which often creates significant barriers to friendships and quality of life. The aim of the present study was to investigate the impact of a movement activity-based intervention program on the emotional domain, specifically on the management of anger and aggressive behavior of students with ASD. The sample consisted of two students with ASD, high and medium functioning, aged 10 and 9 years old respectively. The Achenbach's "Achenbach's System for Empirically Based Assessment" (AEBA) was used as an assessment tool, which was completed before and immediately after the intervention by the students' parents and teachers. The SAEBA assesses: abilities, adaptive functioning, behavior, emotional and social problems. The intervention program was 6 weeks long, implemented twice a week and a total of 4 hours per week. The intervention was individual and there were no group activities to allow for peer participation beyond the 6th week. Data analysis found that the intervention program produced little improvement in the management of emotions in children with ASD, specifically anxiety, withdrawal/depression, thinking problems, and rule breaking. However, it needs further investigation as the sample was very small and its conclusions cannot be generalized.