Exercises and their effect on increasing attention focus and visual communication for children with autism spectrum disorder aged (3-6)

Abstract

Practicing sports activities is a necessity of life for all segments of society, including individuals with autism, as exercise for a child with autism is considered one of the healthy treatment methods for life, as sports are useful in reducing unwanted behavior and increasing the desired behavior of the autistic child.

After visiting the Speech Therapy and Autism Disorders Center for Children, it was noted that children have poor concentration and visual communication, and that the child's communication with the family and society has been interrupted due to his autism spectrum disorder. Therefore, the researcher decided to know the role of exercise in its effect on children to improve their concentration and visual communication. The aim of the research is to identify the role of exercise in increasing concentration and visual communication for those with autism spectrum disorder. The experimental approach is the closest research approach to solving problems in a scientific way, and it is the only research approach that can truly test the hypotheses of relationships related to cause or effect. The research sample included children participating in the specialized center for the treatment of autism disorders, numbering (27) and aged (6-3) years, and all members of the sample are of the autism spectrum type. The exercises were applied for three months, with three sessions per week, and each session lasted 60 minutes. The exercises were applied by a specialized cadre for this category, and the post-test was applied under the same conditions. The researcher concluded that exercise has a major and effective role in increasing visual communication for the child with autism, and that exercise has a major and effective role in increasing the concentration of attention in the affected child.