Volume 27, Issue 3
DOI: 10.24205/03276716.2018.1081
Intervention Effects of an Exercise-based Rehabilitation Model on Loneliness and Health Behavior of Adolescents with Autism
Abstract
Background: The incidence of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has significantly increased in recent years. This study explores the effects of an exercise-based rehabilitation model on the treatment and health behavior of adolescents with autism. Participants were a total of 106 children with autism (52 in the experiment group and 54 in the control group). A 4-month intervention employing an exercise-based rehabilitation model was conducted from January to September 2017. The Child Autism Rating Scale (CARS), the Autism Treatment Evaluation Checklist (ATEC), and the Autism Behavior Checklist (ABC) were used for evaluation before and after the test. Results: After the intervention, the scores of the control group and the experiment group in the CARS and ATEC significantly decreased (P<0.05), whereas those in the ABC substantially increased (P<0.05). Moreover, the difference before and after the intervention in the experiment group is considerably higher than that in the control group (P<0.05). Conclusions: The exercise-based rehabilitation model has a positive effect on patients with autism, and the effect is better in the case of earlier intervention. It can effectively improve language, social, and cognitive development of adolescents with autism. Meanwhile, the exercise-based rehabilitation model can effectively promote health-related behaviors of adolescents with autism.
Keywords
Autism, exercise-based rehabilitation model, health behavior, loneliness, treatment