Effects of Family-Professional Partnerships in Adapted Physical Education on the Fundamental Motor Skills, Adaptive Behaviors, and Physical Activity Levels of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder and on Parent Satisfaction

PURPOSE: This study aimed to explore the effect of family-professional partnerships in adapted physical education on the fundamental motor skills, physical activity levels, and adaptive behaviors of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and on parental satisfaction.

METHODS: A randomized controlled trial design was used, with pre-and post-intervention evaluations. Participants (n = 40), including children with ASD and their parents, were divided into three groups: (a) a family-school group (FSG-A, n = 14), (b) a school group (SG-B, n = 13), and (c) a control group (CG-C, n = 13).

RESULTS: After 12 weeks of intervention, the within-group comparison revealed that the FSG-A performed better than the SG-B and CG-C for all variables. The among-group comparison further revealed that the FSG-A had greater fundamental motor skill scores than the SG-B (p = 0.021) and CG-C (p