第二十五屆 自閉症譜系障礙兒童的身體活動、參與度和生活品質的問卷評估

自閉症譜系障礙兒童的身體活動、參與度和生活品質的問卷評估

Questionnaire assessments of physical activity, participation, and quality of life in children with autism spectrum disorder

吳心妤¹、 陳昭縈^1＊

Xin-Yu Wu¹,Chao-Ying Chen^1＊

長庚大學物理治療學系暨復健科學研究所

School of Physical Therapy and Graduate Institute of Rehabilitation Sciences, College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan

Background and Purpose: Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have difficulties in social communication, which may lead to reduced interaction with peers and decreased participation in daily activities. Consequently, it may also result in decreased physical activity (PA) levels. Over time, the unhealthy lifestyle and limited participation may negatively affect quality of life (QoL) in this population. Although previous studies have examined the relationship between PA and QoL, the literature remains limited and studies vary in design. Moreover, there is no study assess whether participation is associated with compromised PA and QoL in children with ASD, which could be crucial in guiding future intervention and support plan. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between PA, participation, functionality, and QoL in children with ASD.

Methods: Fourteen children with confirmed diagnosis of ASD (age range: 4-12 years; preschool-aged, n=1; school-aged, n=13) and their primary caregivers have been recruited in this study to date. Each child’s caregiver is invited to complete four questionnaires (three online and one paper) to assess their child’s PA level, functionality, participation, and QoL. Spearman’s correlation coefficient is used to assess the relationships, and the alpha level is set at 0.05.

Results: There is a moderate positive correlation between home participation and self-esteem domain of QoL in school-aged children (r_s=0.61, pr_s= 0.642, p

Conclusion: Home participation is associated with self-esteem domain of QoL in our preliminary result. Since early childhood serves as the foundation of personality and confidence development, and is closely linked to parental-child relationship, and family education and support, it may therefore influence how a child feel satisfied with themselves. In addition, the physical domain of QoL is related to social functioning, possibly because healthy children are more able to actively participate in various activities. The increased participation may allow them to build more interpersonal relationships, leading to better social performance. However, the cause-and-effect relationship between these domains needs to be proved. The current sample size is insufficient, therefore, there are some trends identified yet reached significant level. Also, the correlation between the targeted variables will  be further confirmed with the completion of this study. The findings could then provide important information to guide the intervention plans aims to enhance the health, participation, and QoL of children with ASD.

Keywords: Autism spectrum disorder, physical activity, participation, quality of life, functionality, preschool, school-aged, children