The Autism Society Event and Education Recordings Archive

Development of friendships is challenging for individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Friendships are built around recess, family gatherings, and community events which require social and athletic abilities. Learn simple, research-based methods to improve interest, knowledge and motor ability via a fitness-focused social skills group that parents and kids recommend. Friends and Fitness is a unique program offered by The Center in conjunction with Rockstar Fitness.  This class has three primary goals: to improve social interaction/social communication skills, to improve fitness, and to provide a supported bridge to further community integration.    The class is designed to enhance the social, behavioral, and social language skills of children who demonstrate emerging motivation for social interaction and require specific, concentrated intervention to acquire social skills.  It is further designed for children who have basic imitation skills but require focused training to utilize those skills to improve coordination, strength, agility, endurance, and cooperative game skills.   

The group is designed and led by Tamara Kasper, Speech-Language Pathologist and Board Certified Behavior Analyst in partnership with Eric Perez, Certified Personal Trainer.  The group consists of no more than 9 children with Autism Spectrum Disorders and/or other social deficits.  Members of the group are provided an opportunity to meet once or twice per week for 4-6 weeks.  Classes will take place at Rockstar Fitness in Mequon, Wisconsin, or other suitable community location and are 1.5 hours in duration.  Fitness programming will include:  social skills and motor skills pre-test and post-test during first and final session which are directly related to the theme of the session.  Each session involves a social skills warm-up and physical warm-up, social skills training, functional training/plyometric circuits (athletic training) and cooperative drills and games to practice the skills. Social skills goals will include:  problem solving, working together, understanding verbal and nonverbal cues used in sports training, good sportsmanship (cheering, encouraging, being a good winner or loser), initiating with others and waiting for eye contact, assessing gradations of fatigue, volume, excitement, and preference using 5 point scales, recalling friend’s favorites, and learning to assess and join structured and unstructured activities. 

 Each child’s need for support is assessed and the child may be accompanied by a line or senior, who is specially trained to facilitate social interaction among participants and collect data on social goals specific to each learner.  Pre-post session fitness data will also be collected and provided.

 Principles of Applied Behavior Analysis are used throughout the entire process of development and implementation of the classes.  Sessions are modified based on inspection of the data and learner performance. 

 This program advances the field of Applied Behavior Analysis by providing an evidence-based method for documenting improvement in social skills and motor skills and application of these skills to real-life community situations.  The goal of Friends and Fitness is of social significance—to provide learners with the social and motor skills to participate in games and activities during family gatherings, recess, and community offered athletic programs. 

This presentation is appropriate for those seeking intermediate level education in application of social skills instruction in the context of an athletic training group.  Research on the benefits of physical activity as well as the evidence for the behavioral strategies used will be provided.

Learning Objectives: