Abstract
Purpose: Reliable fitness testing measurements are necessary to determine the effectiveness of exercise interventions for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). However, it remains unclear if the reliability of testing batteries are influenced by ASD severity. The purpose of this study was to assess the test-retest reliability of a modified Eurofit test battery for children diagnosed with mild and moderate/severe ASD.
Methods: Seventeen participants with ASD aged 4–12 years (7.88 years ±1.87) completed the modified Eurofit test battery consisting of a 20 m sprint, standing broad jump, sit and reach flexibility, handgrip strength and stork balance test at two timepoints, seven days apart. The severity of the children’s ASD symptomology was measured using the teacher-reported Gilliam Autism Rating Scale, and children were categorized as having ‘mild ASD’ or ‘moderate/severe ASD’. Ten children were included in the mild ASD group, and seven children in the moderate/severe ASD group. Test-retest reliability statistics included calculating the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and coefficient of variation (CV%) for each variable.
Results: Children with mild ASD displayed good to excellent levels of relative and absolute reliability in the 20 m sprint, standing broad jump, sit and reach and handgrip strength (ICC ≥ 0.70 and CV% < 3%). Children with moderate/severe ASD displayed excellent levels of relative and absolute reliability in the 20 m sprint, standing broad jump, sit and reach and handgrip strength (ICC ≥ 0.70, CV% < 6%). While the Stork balance had acceptable relative reliability (ICC = 0.86) and the typical errors were higher than the other tests for both groups (mild, CV = 33.7%, moderate/severe, CV = 18.6%).
Conclusion: The modified Eurofit testing battery can be reliably used in children with ASD irrespective of the severity of ASD. These results are important to note for future research and applied practice. Caution should be applied to the stork balance test given the heightened typical error reported. With the exception of the stork balance test, the modified Eurofit testing battery may be used to detect meaningful changes in physical fitness performance in children with ASD.
Methods: Seventeen participants with ASD aged 4–12 years (7.88 years ±1.87) completed the modified Eurofit test battery consisting of a 20 m sprint, standing broad jump, sit and reach flexibility, handgrip strength and stork balance test at two timepoints, seven days apart. The severity of the children’s ASD symptomology was measured using the teacher-reported Gilliam Autism Rating Scale, and children were categorized as having ‘mild ASD’ or ‘moderate/severe ASD’. Ten children were included in the mild ASD group, and seven children in the moderate/severe ASD group. Test-retest reliability statistics included calculating the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and coefficient of variation (CV%) for each variable.
Results: Children with mild ASD displayed good to excellent levels of relative and absolute reliability in the 20 m sprint, standing broad jump, sit and reach and handgrip strength (ICC ≥ 0.70 and CV% < 3%). Children with moderate/severe ASD displayed excellent levels of relative and absolute reliability in the 20 m sprint, standing broad jump, sit and reach and handgrip strength (ICC ≥ 0.70, CV% < 6%). While the Stork balance had acceptable relative reliability (ICC = 0.86) and the typical errors were higher than the other tests for both groups (mild, CV = 33.7%, moderate/severe, CV = 18.6%).
Conclusion: The modified Eurofit testing battery can be reliably used in children with ASD irrespective of the severity of ASD. These results are important to note for future research and applied practice. Caution should be applied to the stork balance test given the heightened typical error reported. With the exception of the stork balance test, the modified Eurofit testing battery may be used to detect meaningful changes in physical fitness performance in children with ASD.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 79-79 |
| Number of pages | 1 |
| Journal | Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise |
| Volume | 54 |
| Issue number | 9S |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 1 Sept 2022 |
Keywords
- Physical Therapy, Sports Therapy and Rehabilitation
- Orthopedics and Sports Medicine