Abstract

The purpose of this study was to analyze the effects of an 8-week judo program on self-competency, physical activity (PA) motivation, and enjoyment of PA in children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). METHODS: The sample included 20 children (ages 8 – 17) with a primary diagnosis of ASD. The participants completed an 8-week judo program that occurred once a week for 45 minutes. Participants were instructed to complete a series of questionnaires that measured athletic self-competency, PA motivation, and PA enjoyment at baseline and at the end of the 8-week judo program. Paired t-tests were conducted to examine differences in psychosocial factors from baseline and post-judo. Additionally, correlational analyses were conducted to examine the association between the psychosocial variables and attendance during the 8-week program. RESULTS: Although increases in psychosocial factors were observed following the cessation of the judo program, these changes were not statistically significant for any of the psychosocial factors following the 8-week program. There was a significant, positive association between PA motivation and judo attendance (r=.43, p=.05), however, neither athletic competency nor PA enjoyment were correlated with judo attendance. CONCLUSION: Although not significant, improvement in psychosocial factors were observed post-judo program. Future studies should consider increasing the duration and frequency of the judo program to potentially elicit greater changes in psychosocial factors related to PA.

Thesis Completion

2019

Semester

Summer

Thesis Chair/Advisor

Garcia, Jeanette M.

Co-Chair

Fukuda, David H.

Degree

Bachelor of Science (B.S.)

College

College of Health Professions and Sciences

Department

Kinesiology and Physical Therapy

Language

English

Access Status

Open Access

Release Date

8-1-2019

Download

Share

COinS