“Autism and communication”;
Communication is a vital skill for one to have, this ability facilitates our lives and helps us navigate through school, work, and other inevitable situations in life. Although for most people interacting is fairly easy, for some it is difficult and sometimes impossible. Autism is a developmental disability that affects people’s ability to communicate and interact with others. Autism affects both boys and girls, 1 in 59 births, but is more common in boys affecting 1 in 54 in the United States (Autism Society). People with Autism tend to exhibit repetitive behavior and tend to exclude themselves from social and academic activities (Anderson-Hanley, 2011). Autism is a spectrum disorder, meaning it affects people in different levels. Although there is no cure for autism, this disability is treatable and the key to treating it is early diagnosis. Though an individual will always have autism, with professional help they can improve (Autism Society). One example of helpful treatment for autism is physical exercise which has been shown to help decrease repetitive behavior and improve cognitive function (Anderson-Hanley, 2011).
As stated before, physical activity has been found to help reduce repetitive behavior in children with autism spectrum disorder. A study was conducted by Cay Anderson-Hanley, Kimberly Tureck, and Robyn L Schneiderman to find possible behavioral and cognitive benefits in exergaming. Exergaming is a combination of video games and physical activity, or simultaneous physical and mental exercise. These researchers believed that exercise provided in exergaming, both physical and mental, would provide an increase benefit in behavioral and cognitive function. The study took place in a school in northeastern United States. The study lasted two weeks and consisted of two pilot studies. Pilot 1 consisted of a control task and a bout of exercise with the video game called Dance Dance Revolution. Pilot consisted of ten additional children performing a bout of cyber cycling. Repetitive behavior and executive function was measured before and after each activity (Anderson-Hanley, 2011).
A total of twenty-two young people participated in this study. For pilot 1, the DDR part of the study, 32 students of a northeastern school in the United States with ASD received letters regarding the study. Out of those 32 only twelve completed the 2-week sessions. The only requirement was that they have expressive language and that their parents have the knowledge in English language to complete required questionnaires. The twelve participants for pilot 1 were of ages ranging from 10-18 years, eight were male. For pilot 2, which studied the effects of cyber cycling, consisted of ten additional participants with Autism spectrum disorder. These participants, unlike those in pilot 1 who received letters, were informed through ASD organizations and ASD newsletters. All of the participants for pilot 2 of this study were males from the ages 8-21 years old. This group also had to fit the same criteria as those in pilot 1 (Anderson-Hanley, 2011).
Before either of the two-week studies began, the participants and/or their parents took a questionnaire for the researchers to understand the severity of their Autism. The questionnaire used was The Gilliam Autism Rating Scale 2nd Edition which consisted of 42 items (Anderson-Hanley, 2011). The study contained a control session in which the participants were exposed to a placebo condition. This part of the study was for the researchers to be able to compare attention and practice effects. They did this by videotaping the participants playing for 5 minutes as the control condition part of the test, followed by different executive function tests. Later they had the participants watch a 20-minute video of a school talent show, after this the participants were once again videotaped playing for 5 minutes and once again executive function tests were administered (Anderson-Hanley, 2011). During the exergaming sessions one week later, the participants were once again videotaped while playing for 5 minutes, followed once again by a variety of executive function tests. After these 5 minutes they were introduced to the videogame Dance Dance Revolution. This game, as described in the research article, consists of a mat which is connected to the gaming system, on which the player imitates dances shown on the screen and earns points. The participants did this for twenty minutes, afterwards they were once again videotaped playing for 5 minutes, afterwards executive tests were run. For pilot 2, or the cybercycling part of the study, researchers wanted to know if this would produce similar effects to behavioral and cognitive function. Alike the exergaming session, the participants were videotaped playing for 5 minutes before and after twenty minutes of cybercycling. Executive tests were also run after those five minutes (Anderson-Hanley, 2011).
As mentioned earlier, the researchers hypothesized that exergaming, which involves mental and physical exercise, would provide benefits in behavioral and cognitive functions for those with Autism spectrum disorder. They also believed that through exergaming, repetitive behavior, common in those with ASD, would decrease. After a two-week research involving twenty-two participants with Autism spectrum disorder, they found their results supported their theory. The twelve participants, whom took part in the exergaming session of this study, showed significant decline in repetitive behavior (Anderson-Hanley, 2011). The ten additional participants who took part in the cybercycling session also demonstrated significant decrease in repetitive behavior (Anderson-Hanley, 2011). These results, along with their data and measurements in behavioral and executive function supported their initial hypothesis.
This research did not only successfully prove the researchers’ hypothesis, it was also conducted in an efficient and well-organized way. They gathered the necessary information through the Gilliam Autism Rating Scale 2nd edition questionnaire to better understand their participants(Anderson-Hanley, 2011). The measurements they used were also very efficient and well done, the comparisons were also efficient. This research can serve as valuable information for society to help autistic children. Exergaming as seen in this study can benefit autistic children with excessive repetitive behavior and can help benefit executive function. As someone who has witnessed repetitive behavior in autistic children it is fascinating how a video game can help reduce this. Exergaming is a great example of how with early diagnosis and professional help, those with autism can improve.