Autism, Sport and Society: Conversations With Parents

Study Overview
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Brief Summary
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In order to examine the experience of children with ASC in physical activity at home, at school, and in the local community, parents of children with ASC will be asked a number of open ended interview questions. To see if these experiences are unique to parents of children ASC, parents of non-ASC children will also be interviewed to allow for these perspectives to be compared and contrasted.

Detailed Description
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Background: 77% of boys and 80% of girls aged 5-15 in the UK fall below the national physical activity guidelines of 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous activity per day. Research shows children with an Autism Spectrum Condition (ASC) are even less physically active than their neurotypical, age related peers and as a result are at increased risk of cardiovascular diseases, metabolic disorders, low self-esteem and depression. This physical activity gap has been shown to increase as children get older. If a gap between the activity levels of children with ASC and the so called 'normal population' exists, there are a number of possible explanations for why this might be. Research points to either some facet of the autism spectrum causing difficulties engaging with a certain feature of a physical activity i.e. the physical environment in which activities take place which is difficult from the sensory point of view (noisy, busy, brightly lit) or lack of specific provision tailored towards children with ASC readily available in the local community. With repeated negative experiences, children and adults with ASC may come to believe these opportunities are 'not for them'. To date, there has been limited research conducted on the attitudes of young people with ASC to sport and physical activity. The research that has been conducted has mainly focused on interviewing the young people themselves to gather their perspectives. However, little is known about their parent's perceptions of sports participation or if parents value being physically active themselves. This is of particular interest as parental modelling has been shown to be a predictor of children's PA behaviours with a positive correlation between adult and child PA levels. Furthermore, parents may offer additional insights into barriers of physical activity beyond that of their children and this information could help to advise the sports sector on how clubs and leisure centres could offer a better experience for children with ASC. In order to examine the experience of children with ASC in physical activity at home, at school, and in the local community, parents of children with ASC will be asked a number of open ended interview questions. To see if these experiences are unique to parents of children ASC, parents of non-ASC children will also be interviewed to allow for these perspectives to be compared and contrasted.

Official Title
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Autism, Sport and Society: Conversations With Parents

Conditions
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Autism Spectrum Disorder

Participation Criteria
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Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion Criteria: Parent of child with an Autism Spectrum Condition aged 5-15 Parent of child aged 5-15 Exclusion Criteria: Parents with children with autism older than 15 or younger than 5 Parents of children older than 15 or younger than 5
Sexes Eligible for Study
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All

Study Plan
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How is the study designed?
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What is the study measuring?
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Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Child Physical Activity and Parent Attitudes to Sport: Parent Questionnaire | Qualitative interview for parents of children with and without autism spectrum disorders to examine perceptions of their chid's physical activity at school, at home and in the local community. To be conducted on one occasion. The interview guide is grouped into 4 sections: current activity levels, parent perceptions on activity and their local community, physical activity in school, and opinions on the sports sector and how it can be changed. Examples of questions include What types of physical activity does your child take part in currently? and What has been your child's experiences of P.E in school? | 1 year | 

 Terms related to the study
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Keywords Provided by Centre Hospitalier Valida
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ASC, Sport and physical activity, Parent perceptions