Öznur Akyüz

Examination of Effects of Regular Sports Training on Individual Skills in Trainable Children with Autism.

The aim of this study is to examine the effects of regular sport training implemented at Integrated Disabled Athlete Department on autistic children’s adolescence development of individual abilities as motor proficiencies. The subject group of this study is composed of 12 boys with autism who practiced physical education programs in running speed and agility, balance, coordination, and strength for 13 weeks. They were trained for one hour a day and for three days a week. In order to analyse the result of that training program, both preliminary and post-test techniques and particularly Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor (2nd ed.) (BOT-2) were implemented. The result of preliminary and post-tests showed that there is a significant difference between motor levels (running speed and agility, balance, coordination, and strength). This result was interpreted that physical education has positive effects on the subjects. As a result, regular sports training provided to children with autism were found to promote the development of physical properties.