Ball Exercises and Stereotypic Behavior in Autism Spectrum Disorder

Study Overview
=================
Brief Summary
-----------------
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neuro-behavioral disorder associated with repetitive movements. The role of physical therapist towards an autistic child is most neglected one. Therefore, the objective of this study was to see the effectiveness of different ball exercise on stereotypic behavior of children with ASD. Different ball exercises were implemented for 2 months, 3 sessions per week and every session consist of 35 minutes.

Official Title
-----------------
Effectiveness of Ball Exercises on the Stereotypic Behavior of Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder

Conditions
-----------------
Autism Spectrum Disorder

Intervention / Treatment
-----------------
* Procedure: Ball Exercises


Participation Criteria
=================
Eligibility Criteria
-----------------
Inclusion Criteria: Children diagnosed with ASD through experts Having recognized stereotypic behavior Having Intellectual Deficit (ID) and Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD) Age ranging between 4-16 years Consented to take part Exclusion Criteria: Having co-morbidities like schizophrenia and developmental delays Severe cases of ASD Showing aggressive behavior Having disease of cardiovascular or respiratory system Children unable to follow the command for exercise completely

Ages Eligible for Study
-----------------
Minimum Age: 4 Years
Maximum Age: 16 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study
-----------------
All

Accepts Healthy Volunteers
-----------------
No

Study Plan
=================
How is the study designed?
-----------------

Design Details

Primary Purpose: Supportive Care
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: Single


Arms and Interventions

| Participant Group/Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
| --- | --- |
| Experimental: Exercise Group<br>Five different ball exercises were implemented for 35 minutes, 3 sessions per week for 2 months. | Procedure: Ball Exercises<br>* Different ball exercises which include stability ball roll, stability ball hug, catching, throwing was performed. Along with these exercises, ball tapping exercise was also performed. Exercises were performed with 55 and 65 inch gym ball and a small regular plastic ball.<br>|
| No Intervention: Control Group<br>No exercises were performed in control group | |

What is the study measuring?
-----------------
Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Stereotypic Behaviors | Repetitive behavior scale revised (RBS-R) was used to rate stereotypic behaviors in children with ASD. It is a 43 items questionnaire that is placed under six subscales. Stereotyped behavior subscale, self-injurious behavior subscale, compulsive behavior subscale, ritualistic behavior subscale, sameness behavior subscale and restricted behavior subscale are the six subscales of RBS-R. Each subscale has different characteristics which are classified as 0 (behavior is not present at all), 1 (behavior is mildly present), 2 (behavior is moderately present) and 3 (behavior is severe). Moreover, each behavior was also rated that how much this behavior occurs, cause interruption in activity and how much child become agitated when he was interrupted. | Two months | 

 Terms related to the study
=================
Keywords Provided by Centre Hospitalier Valida
-----------------
ball exercises, physical therapy