This project sought to test a new assessment to measure physical activity and sports skills for autistic kids and young people to make it easier for them to get involved in sport and to be active in their communities.
Autistic kids and young people often experience difficulties with running, balancing and coordinating different movements so are often less active than their friends and siblings. They might also miss out on taking part in sport and physical activity because the sports leaders may not be aware of their sensory challenges, differences in their understanding of body language, and increased fear and anxiety in social situations.
Prior to the study there wasn’t an assessment that fully captured the movement issues of autistic kids and young people causing issues for families and clinicians who were unable to fully understand or accurately measure how well certain therapies were working.
As a result of this project, Novita demonstrated that the Ignite Challenge measure (developed by Virginia Wright and colleagues) is a reliable and valid tool to identify motor-related challenges that impact a child’s physical activity participation, and to inform meaningful goal setting/intervention with autistic children and young people.
More information can be found here - Getting Into The Game | Novita
Links to publications/websites:
Presented at the 2021 American Academy of Developmental Medicine conference (p.20 of program here) am21-final-v8.pdf, The Ignite Challenge | Holland Bloorview and Publications | Holland Bloorview