Your Therapy Source Magazine for Pediatric Therapists September 2016 | Page 5

alternating treatment design with two young children (55 and 56 months old) with
autism. During the low effort intervention, the teacher provided access to randomly selected
portable materials (i.e. bubbles) and interacted with the student every two minutes with
reminders regarding the portable materials or positive/neutral feedback, For the high effort
intervention, the teacher offered a choice between two age appropriate activities using the
portable materials. Again, the teacher interacted every two minutes if needed. The high effort
intervention attempted to encourage social behavior as well by allowing other children to
participate but only the student participant in the study had access to the portable materials. The
other children had to ask the student to join the activity. The final intervention was the enhanced
intervention which was the same as the high effort intervention but also included prompting the
students to participate in physical activity every 2 minutes (ie “let’s run and get the bubbles”).
The results indicated the following:
1. engagement and social behaviors increased during a structured choice (SC) intervention
condition.
2. MVPA was variable within and across conditions, but appropriate physical activity (e.g.,
physical activity that was associated with engagement) was highest during the SC condition.
3. the enhanced intervention showed minimally higher physical activity with sustained
social and engagement behaviors.
This research suggests that teachers can offer activity choices using portable materials to
increase MVPA with appropriate engagement in young children with autism.
As school based therapists, we can offer activity suggestions to teachers for when young children
with autism are in large and small play space areas.
The download, 50 Sensory Motor Activities for Kids, offers
a collection of creative, fun filled activities promote
fundamental motor skills, sensory processing, motor
planning and body awareness. The ebook is divided into
three sections – Games to Play in Small Spaces (classroom
or small room), Games to Play in Large Spaces
(gymnasium or outdoors) and Games to Play with Bean
Bags. The activities require simple equipment such as bean
bags, hoops, rope, balls, etc. Just print out the activities
and games to give to the teachers. FI ND OUT MORE
INFORMATION.

Reference: Jennifer R. Ledford, Justin D. Lane, Collin Shepley, and Sarah M. Kroll. Using
Teacher-Implemented Playground Interventions to Increase Engagement, Social Behaviors, and
Physical Activity for Young Children With Autism. Focus on Autism and Other Developmental
Disabilities September 2016 31: 163-173, first published on August 21, 2014
doi:10.1177/1088357614547892
5