Abstract
Background: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder estimated to affect one in 44 children in the United States. Many people with ASD have reading comprehension difficulties, sensorimotor abnormalities, and motor function impairments.
Method: A total of seven subjects (1 female, 6 male), ages 12-31 years old, with a clinical diagnosis of ASD were enrolled in this study. Subjects completed a 12 session, instructor guided gross motor development program. Motor function in these subjects were evaluated using the Right Fit Fitness Assessment (RFFA). These subjects were also enrolled in an at-home K-D RAP to practice and refine eye tracking skills. All subjects were assessed in their reading performance and motor function pre- and postintervention.
Results: All seven subjects who completed K-D RAP had improvements in their K-D time scores. All seven subjects who completed K-D RAP had improvements in their RFFA scores.
Conclusion: This pilot study aimed to observe the effects of implementing a reading and eye movement training program in ASD patients completing a concurrent gross motor development program. The instructors specialized in organizing fitness programs for the ASD population were able to comment on a greater improvement observed in gross motor function in the study subjects than in prior therapy which did not include KD RAP. The improvement in all of the subjects’ RFFA scores to evaluate various physical tasks may suggest that there is a benefit in adjunctive oculomotor training such as K-D RAP to further improve motor function in this population.