Indirectly Decreasing Motor Stereotypy in Children With Autism via Increasing Motor Activities

Abstract

The intervention consisted of a multi‐component synergetic learning (antecedent instruction, imitation and modeling, prompting and fading, and reinforcement) integrating with perceptual motor activities (motor planning, body awareness, and balance). The intervention was provided by a trained therapist during 30‐ to 45‐min sessions, 5 days a week during school, over 12 weeks, to indirectly decrease stereotypic motor behaviors in five Pakistani children with autism spectrum disorder. Researchers collected data on each form of motor stereotypy using 1‐min momentary time sampling during 30‐min observations with each participant across three phases (pre‐, mid‐, and post‐intervention) and thereafter statistically compared data from the pre‐ and post‐intervention phases. Results of a Wilcoxon signed‐rank test indicate that participants' engagement in motor stereotypy was significantly lower during the post‐intervention phase than during the pre‐intervention phase. Specifically, participants' motor stereotypy decreased from an average of 29% of intervals during pre‐intervention observations to an average of 13% of intervals during the post‐intervention. We discuss limitations of the findings and possible conceptualizations of the behavior changes.