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17Analysis of motor sphere of children of early age diagnosed with autism spectrum
disorders
PhD S.V. Tomilova1 PhD A.V. Kostyuk2 A.M. Mashtakova2
PhD, Associate Professor T.R. Tenkacheva2
1Ural Federal University named after the first President of Russia B.N. Yeltsin, Yekaterinburg
2Ural State Pedagogical University, Yekaterinburg
Corresponding author: svetoma@mail.ru
Abstract
Objective of the study was to identify the specifics of the motor sphere of children of early age diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders.
Methods and structure of the study. The study of the motor functions of children of early age diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders was carried out at the "Logoped" Center (Pervouralsk, Sverdlovsk Region) and the Center for Continuing Education of Ural State Pedagogical University (Yekaterinburg) from 2018 through 2021. Sampled for the study were 9 children aged from 1 year 3 months to 2 years 8 months, all diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders by a child psychiatrist. The study was conducted prior to the start of the behavioral intervention.
The subjects' motor functions were analyzed using a program for assessing the level of motor development at early childhood (Peabody Developmental Motor Scales), including six subtests, which was supplemented by the corresponding sections from the Assessment of Basic Language and Learning Skills - Revised (ABLLS-R).
The following motor functions were analyzed: involuntary response to environmental changes; maintaining balance and control over own body within the center of gravity; the child's ability to move from one place to another; object manipulation; the child's hand skills; visual-motor coordination - to evaluate the child's ability to use visual-perceptual skills to perform complex eye-hand coordination tasks such as grasping objects, building with blocks, copying pictures.
Conclusion. Given the behavior patterns and sensory problems in the development of children with autism spectrum disorders, it can be reasonably argued that it is not only a specially organized process of formation of their motor sphere that is necessary but also the need to select special methods and techniques. Thus, considering the existing developments in the field of applied behavioral analysis, such teaching methods may include: NET (training in the natural environment), chain learning, functional communication training, discrete and mixed trials, etc. All these methods require special techniques that could be combined, for example, providing support for the error-free formation of motor skills and using a motivational environment. These directions seem promising for further research.
Keywords: early childhood, autism, motor activity, behavior, motor skills.
Background. Nowadays, studies of autism spectrum disorders in children of early age are taking on increasing importance all over the world. There is a growing interest of specialists and parents raising children with autism spectrum disorders in a reasonable and effective early intervention.
Early childhood (the first and second years of life) is a sensitive period for the development of all higher mental processes, the formation of which is carried out during various goal-oriented activi-
ties. A large number of studies show that children with autism spectrum disorders have difficulties in forming all vital functions. During ontogenesis, children with autism spectrum disorders master the entire behavior repertoire through motor activity, which contributes to the mastery of different ways to operate with objects and learn about the world. The studies also show that difficulties in information processing prevent children with autism spectrum disorders from mastering the entire mo-
tor repertoire, which naturally affects their entire development.
Therefore, it can be argued that, currently, it is important to study the peculiarities of mastering motor skills by children with autism spectrum disorders in the second and third years of life, and it is also necessary to select methods for shaping the children's motor behavior [9, 13, 14].
Objective of the study was to identify the specifics of the motor sphere of children of early age diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders.
Methods and structure of the study. The study of the motor functions of children of early age diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders was carried out at the "Logoped" Center (Pervouralsk, Sverdlovsk Region) and the Center for Continuing Education of Ural State Pedagogical University (Yekaterinburg) from 2018 through 2021. Sampled for the study were 9 children aged from 1 year 3 months to 2 years 8 months, all diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders by a child psychiatrist. The study was conducted prior to the start of the behavioral intervention.
The subjects' motor functions were analyzed using a program for assessing the level of motor development at early childhood (Peabody Developmental Motor Scales), including six subtests, which was supplemented by the corresponding sections from the Assessment of Basic Language and Learning Skills -Revised (ABLLS-R).
The following motor functions were analyzed: involuntary response to environmental changes; maintaining balance and control over own body within the center of gravity; the child's ability to move from one place to another; object manipulation; the child's hand skills; visual-motor coordination - to evaluate the child's ability to use visual-perceptual skills to perform complex eye-hand coordination tasks such as grasping objects, building with blocks, copying pictures.
All subtests were offered to the child in the form in which he/she could understand and perform them; most of the tasks were offered through the creation of special conditions for object manipulating or performing gross motor movements. The testing was conducted in the first half of the day, on an individual basis (in the presence of a significant adult or a specialist who was a positive stimulus for the child), using a reward system adjusted to each child. Prior to the testing, all the children participating in the study worked in cooperation with the adults and were given a positive emotional attitude to interact with them.
The test results were subjected to a qualitative assessment, which included an analysis of the compliance of the motor task performance with the ontogenetic indicators. In addition, when processing the test results, we selected methods for the formation of motor skills in children of early age with autism spectrum disorders.
Results and discussion. The analysis of the test results showed that all the examined children had difficulties in mastering the motor program and self-stimulating behavior. The findings were presented in a previously published article: A.V. Blazhevich, A.V. Ko-styuk [1].
During the analysis of the data obtained, it was found that all the children had impaired coordination and proportionality of movements. They had a clumsy grasp of objects, and their movements were awkward and disymmetric. The revealed disorders of differentiated movements of the fingers and gross motor skills, as well as literature data, confirm the assumption that children with autism spectrum disorders have information processing disorders in the central nervous system, which makes it difficult for them to develop motor skills in the absence of a pathological factor.
Conclusion. Given the behavior patterns and sensory problems in the development of children with autism spectrum disorders, it can be reasonably argued that it is not only a specially organized process of formation of their motor sphere that is necessary but also the need to select special methods and techniques. Thus, considering the existing developments in the field of applied behavioral analysis, such teaching methods may include: NET (training in the natural environment), chain learning, functional communication training, discrete and mixed trials, etc. All these methods require special techniques that could be combined, for example, providing support for the error-free formation of motor skills and using a motivational environment. These directions seem promising for further research.
References
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