The Effectiveness of Cognitive-Motor Exercises on the Motor Development of Children with Autism Based on Gentile's Two-Stage Model

The prevalence of autism spectrum disorders (ASD), as a developmental neurological condition, has increased in recent years. The present study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of cognitive-motor exercises on the improvement of some large and delicate motor skills of children with autism based on Gentilechr('39')s Two-Stage Model. In the present Semi-experimental study, one of the rehabilitation centers under the supervision of Tehran Welfare Organization was selected as via the convenience sampling method and 20 children aged 6-10 years with autism were randomly divided into two homogeneous experimental and control groups. The subjects in the experimental group participated in a six-week training protocol (three sessions per week). Each session was made up of 60 minutes of cognitive-motor exercises based on Gentile’s model. Bruininks-Oseretsky subtests of motor proficiency were employed for data collection. The collected data were analyzed using the repeated measures ANOVA. The results indicated that after cognitive-motor training, running and agility skills, static and dynamic balance, upper limb coordination and response speed in the experimental group increased significantly (p<0.05). As the findings showed, cognitive-motor exercises designed as a useful method can be used to rehabilitate the fine and gross motor skills of children with autism.