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Taekwondo for Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder

Loma Linda University (LLU) logo

Loma Linda University (LLU)

Status

Completed

Conditions

Autism Spectrum Disorder

Treatments

Behavioral: Taekwondo

Study type

Interventional

Funder types

Other

Identifiers

NCT03912896
5180418

Details and patient eligibility

About

This study uses a mixed methods design to understand the effectiveness of using taekwondo as an intervention for children with ASD and its effect on social interaction skills and everyday life. Qualitative research emphasizes that meaning can be explained and interpreted only by those who experience it. A pretest-posttest design will be used to describe what occurs after the introduction of the taekwondo intervention and understand the changes that occur after exposure. Collecting information through the lived experiences and observations from the parents will be collated with the pre and post results of the children participants' social interaction skills.

Qualitative data will be collected through pre and post semi-structured interviews with the parents to understand their observations of their child before and after completing the taekwondo program. Interviews will also be conducted with the child to understand their perspectives on physical activity participation. Interview questions will also explore how the effectiveness of the program has impacted the children's engagement in daily activities.

Quantitative research will be collected through pre and post results from the Autism Social Skills Profile-2 ([ASSP] assessment that will be completed by the parents. The ASSP-2 provides a comprehensive measure of social functioning for children and adolescents with ASD.

Enrollment

6 patients

Sex

All

Ages

7 to 11 years old

Volunteers

No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

  • Formal diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD)
  • Able to follow and understand English verbal instructions during the screening process.
  • No experience or prior experience with martial arts.
  • Able to walk and move without using adaptive equipment

Exclusion criteria

  • Physical disabilities that would prevent participation in taekwondo (e.g. wheelchair bound)

Trial design

Primary purpose

Health Services Research

Allocation

N/A

Interventional model

Single Group Assignment

Masking

None (Open label)

6 participants in 1 patient group

Children with autism spectrum disorder
Experimental group
Treatment:
Behavioral: Taekwondo

Trial contacts and locations

1

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Data sourced from clinicaltrials.gov

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