Motor Intervention, Motor Skills, and Dual Task in ASD

Examining the Effect of a Motor Intervention Program Applied to Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder on Autism-Related Symptoms, Gross Motor Skills, and Dual Task Performance

This study is designed to understand whether a structured movement (motor) program can help improve movement skills and daily functioning in young children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

The study will include children aged 4-6 years who have been diagnosed with ASD. Some children will take part in a 12-week motor intervention program in addition to their regular individual education at special education centers. This program will include movement activities twice a week, each session lasting about one hour. Other children will continue with their usual individual education only.

Before and after the 12-week period, all children will be assessed using simple and age-appropriate tools to evaluate their motor skills, ability to perform tasks that require both movement and attention at the same time, and autism-related behaviors. These assessments are commonly used in child development and do not involve any invasive procedures.

The goal of this study is to determine whether participating in a regular movement program can support motor development, coordination, and daily activity participation in children with ASD. Improving these skills at an early age may help children become more independent in daily life and enhance their overall quality of life.

The findings of this study may provide useful information for families, educators, and health care professionals and help improve movement-based practices in special education settings.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Autism Spectrum Disorder
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: Motor Support Program

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 28
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Turkey (Türkiye)
  • Esenyurt
    • Istanbul, Esenyurt, Turkey (Türkiye), 34320
      • Istanbul Aydin University

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Child
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Being between 4 and 6 years of age
• Having no health problems that would prevent participation in the study
• Having been diagnosed with autism according to the Health Board and Guidance and Research Center (RAM) report
• Not having previously participated in any motor-supported education programs (e.g., occupational therapy sessions)
• Having no additional diagnoses related to physical or intellectual disabilities other than autism spectrum disorder

Exclusion Criteria:

• The participant's failure to attend the training program for three consecutive sessions
• The participant's failure to fulfill the assigned responsibilities
• The participant's voluntary withdrawal from the study at any stage for any reason

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Supportive Care
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
No Intervention: Standard Education (No Motor Support); Participants in the control group continued their individual education programs. However, they did not participate in any physiotherapy or motor support programs. Only pre- and post-test measurements were taken.
Experimental: Motor Support Program; The motor support program (MSP) consists of activities developed by the researchers based on the assessment protocols and designed to promote improvements in children's gross motor skills (such as throwing, jumping, catching, and running) while simultaneously engaging cognitive processes. The program includes dual-task activities that require children to perform motor tasks together with attention, reaction, and decision-making components.	Other: Motor Support Program; The motor support program (MSP) was implemented by the first researcher at a special education center for 12 weeks, with two sessions per week, each lasting 60 minutes. A structured and planned intervention program was developed for the first 10 weeks, while an "Activity Choice" approach was applied during the final 2 weeks of the intervention. During this phase, children were presented with various activity options derived from the activities implemented during the first 8 weeks and were encouraged to select and perform these activities. Within each session, at least three different game-based formats were used to target children's gross motor skills and dual-task (motor-cognitive) abilities. In the subsequent weeks, the intervention content was diversified by targeting different game formats.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change in Motor Skills as Measured by the Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency, Second Edition - Short Form (BOT-2 SF)"	In this study, the short form of the Bruininks-Oseretsky Motor Competence Test-2 (BOT-2 SF), which was developed to assess the motor skill levels of individuals aged 4-21 years, was used. The short form used in the study consists of a total of eight subtests and 12 items. These subtests include fine motor accuracy, fine motor integration, manual agility, two-way coordination, balance, running speed and agility, hand-arm coordination and strength. The maximum score that can be obtained in the test is 50. As the total score increases, the level of motor skills increases.	Evaluations were conducted at three time points: at baseline (pretest), at the end of the 12-week intervention (posttest).
Motor-Cognitive Skill Assessment Procedure	Motor-cognitive skills were assessed using the Fitlight Trainer system. Four LED lights were positioned in front of each participant at 10 cm intervals, with placement adjusted according to the participant's height. The lights were activated in a random sequence. Participants were asked to count aloud from 1 to 10 while simultaneously turning off the illuminated lights by touching them with their foot. Task completion time was recorded via the mobile application connected to the Fitlight system and used to evaluate motor-cognitive performance.	Evaluations were conducted at three time points: at baseline (pretest), at the end of the 12-week intervention (posttest).

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Adapted Autism Behavior Checklist (A-ABC):	The Adapted Autism Behavior Checklist (A-ABC) is an assessment tool designed to determine the severity of autism spectrum disorder in children based on the level of support they require, in accordance with DSM-5 criteria. The scale was originally developed by Krug, Arick, and Almond in 1980 and was subsequently updated in 1993 and 2008. Total scores obtained from the scale range from 0 to 159, with scores of 68 and above indicating a "high likelihood of autistic disorder" (Eaves & Williams, 2006). Some items of the scale can be administered to all children, including nonverbal children, whereas additional items are evaluated for verbal children. Based on the scores obtained, the level of impairment associated with autism spectrum disorder and the degree of support required by the child can be determined.	Evaluations were conducted at three time points: at baseline (pretest), at the end of the 12-week intervention (posttest).

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Istanbul Aydın University
• Collaborators: Istanbul University - Cerrahpasa

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Bruininks RH, & Oseretsky, B. D., 2010, Bruininks-Oseretsky Motor Yeterlilik Testi, İkinci Baskı, Kısa Form. Bloomington: Psychcorp.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): April 5, 2025
• Primary Completion (Actual): August 30, 2025
• Study Completion (Actual): September 15, 2025

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: January 28, 2026
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: January 28, 2026
• First Posted (Actual): February 4, 2026

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): February 4, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: January 28, 2026
• Last Verified: January 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Motor skills; Autism spectrum disorder; Dual-task performance; Gross motor skills; Motor intervention
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Mental Disorders; Neurodevelopmental Disorders; Child Development Disorders, Pervasive; Autism Spectrum Disorder
• Other Study ID Numbers: IAU-GOKAEK

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No