Iva Obrusnikova

Integrating Therapy Dog Teams in a Physical Activity Program for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders

JOPERD • Volume 83 No. 6 • August 2012 S am is an 11-year-old boy who looks just like other boys of his age. However, he has Asperger syndrome, a neurodevelopmental disorder that is one of the autism spectrum disorders (ASD). While behaviors in this population vary widely, children with ASD generally share qualitative impairments in reciprocal social interaction and a restricted, stereotyped, repetitive repertoire of interests and activities (American Psychiatric Association, 2000). Sam is fascinated with computers, videogames, and dogs. He has difficulty communicating with his peers and frequently does not respond when people speak to him. He rarely initiates conversations or makes eye contact with people he does not know well. When he is around people whom he does not like, or when such people touch him, he gets upset and loses his temper by screaming and curling into a ball. Sam has trouble with focus and attention, which makes it difficult for him to follow directions and complete tasks in a timely fashion. He may be productive to a point, but as he becomes preoccupied with thoughts that are unrelated to the activity, he gets distracted from the task. Although his mother understands the importance of regular physical activity, she has a hard time convincing him to get in the car every Monday when it is time to go to his sports club. The sports club, formally named the Delaware Adapted Sports Club (www. adaptedde.org), is a University of Delaware organization that promotes the health of youths by enhancing their sports, social, and communication skills in a positive learning environment. It brings together children with and without disabilities. The most common disabilities among children who are included in the club are ASD and attention deficit hyperactivity disorders. With assistance from college students as instructors, children in the sports club first work on motor and fitness tasks at various sport stations (e.g., basketball dribbling, baseball striking, stretching, or running track), and then participate in age-appropriate group activities such as soccer, flag football, or a game of tag. Sam requires a lot of prompting from his instructor and sometimes even his parents to participate in physical activities in the sports club. His instructor has tried many strategies, including schedules, pedometers, social stories, picture prompts, and rewards to help motivate Sam to participate in physical activities. Although those strategies have been effective in gaining Sam’s attention, they have not made him excited or motivated about coming to the sports club. Not surprisingly, in a research study conducted by Obrusnikova and Cavalier (2011), Sam did not meet the minimum amount of daily physical activity recommended by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (2010). When he was interviewed, Sam cited technology-based activities (e.g., video games, computer, TV) and “getting sweaty” to be major barriers to his physical activity. The only two facilitators of his physical activity were “doing tricks in the pool” and “walking outIntegrating Therapy Dog Teams in a Physical Activity Program for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders

Using Video-based Modeling to Promote Acquisition of Fundamental Motor Skills

Video-based modeling is becoming increasingly popular for teaching fundamental motor skills to children in physical education. Two frequently used video-based instructional strategies that incorporate modeling are video prompting (VP) and video modeling (VM). Both strategies have been used across multiple disciplines and populations to teach a wide range of skills, including motor skills. This article describes the benefits of VM and VP and presents eight basic steps to implementing them into physical education classes to promote the acquisition of fundamental motor skills in children. The eight steps are: (1) identifying the target skill(s), (2) selecting the learning cues, (3) selecting the video equipment, (4) selecting the video model, (5) creating the video, (6) selecting and arranging the setting, (7) monitoring progress, and (8) fading.