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Can Participation in a Community Organized Football Program Improve Social, Behavioural Functioning and Communication in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder? A Pilot Study

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Abstract

This pilot research investigated the effects of a community-based organized football program on behavioral, social and communicative outcomes in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. In a non-randomized design, 19 children completed the football program and were compared pre- and post-intervention with 21 children who received no comparable intervention (ages 5–12 years). Caregiver-report using the child behavior checklist indicated a significant decrease in total, internalizing, DSM-oriented anxiety and social problems for children who participated in the program, with no change in the comparison group. There were no group differences in socialization and communication scores on the Vineland Adaptive Behavior scale. Results provide preliminary evidence in support of the program, justifying the need for further, more rigorous trials in this area.

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Acknowledgments

The team would like to thank the families who participated in this research study. We thank Moose Toys and J & S Wenig who provided philanthropic funding support for this research. We would also like to acknowledge the Australian Football League, St Kilda Saints Football Club and the Geelong Cats Football Club for their support in this research. We thank Mathew Ling for the R coding assistance provided, as well as the many research assistants, students, and interns who assisted during the initial phases of this and the broader study.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Deakin Child Study Centre, School of Psychology Faculty of Health, Deakin University, Geelong, VIC, Australia

    Katherine Howells, Carmel Sivaratnam, Ebony Lindor, Christian Hyde, Jane McGillivray & Nicole Rinehart

  2. Cognitive Neuroscience Unit, School of Psychology, Faculty of Health, Deakin University, Geelong, VIC, Australia

    Christian Hyde

  3. Telethon Kids Institute, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, 6009, Australia

    Andrew Whitehouse

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  1. Katherine Howells
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Contributions

KH, CS, EL, CH, JM, AW and NR were involved in the conception of this paper. KH, CS, EL and NR were involved in participant recruitment and data collection. KH, EL, CH and NR were involved in data analysis. All authors contributed to the preparation of the manuscript for publication. All authors approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Katherine Howells.

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Conflicts of interest

NR and JM received philanthropic funding from Moose Toys, MECCA Brands, the Wenig Family, Geelong Community Foundation, and Grace & Emilio Foundation; and industry partner funding from the Victorian Department of Education, to conduct research in the field of neurodevelopmental disorders and inclusion. NR, CH and JM also received funding from the Ferrero Group Australia as part of its Kinder + Sport pillar of Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives. NR and JM have also previously received scholarship funding from the Australian Football League and industry partner funding from the NDIS. NR has received donations from Vic Health and Bus Association Victoria; and previous speaker honorarium from Novartis (2002), Pfizer (2006) and Nutricia (2007); and is a Director of the Amaze Board (Autism Victoria). None of the companies, industry partners or organizational bodies listed above had a role in this research including the collection, analysis, and interpretation of data; in writing of the manuscript; and /or in the decision to submit the article for publication. No other authors report conflicts of interest.

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All procedures performed in this study were done so in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

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Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

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Howells, K., Sivaratnam, C., Lindor, E. et al. Can Participation in a Community Organized Football Program Improve Social, Behavioural Functioning and Communication in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder? A Pilot Study. J Autism Dev Disord 50, 3714–3727 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-020-04423-5

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