journal of motor and behavioral sciences

journal of motor and behavioral sciences

Effects of attentional focus on Object control skill motor learning in children with autism spectrum disorder: Investigation of the constrained action hypothesis

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
mohammad hossein zamani 1
seyed Mojtaba Hosseini 2
ayoub hashemi 3
Mohsen Behrad Nasab 4
1 Ferdowsi Mashhad Universuty- faculty of sport science
2 Assistant Professor Department Motor Behavior, University of Attar, Mashhad, Iran.
3 UNIVERSITY OF TEHRAN
4 PhD Student in Sports Physiology, Islamic Azad University, Neishabour Branch, Neishabour, Iran.
10.22034/jmbs.2024.340372.1143
Abstract
Background & Purpose: children with Autism spectrum disorder have difficult experience in body precise movements and have difficulty performing common basic movements.Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of focus instructions on motor learning in children with autism disorder.

Methodology: This research was a quasi-experimental method of pre-test-post-test with retention test. The statistical population included all male students with autism disorder aged 10 years in Mashhad. Among them, 30 students with autism were selected by available sampling method and were equally divided into three groups of 10 focus internal, focus external and control. The skill used in this study was to throw a bean bag at a designed target on the ground. Participants in each group practiced the relevant skill in 6 blocks of 10 attempts after the pre-test. The retention test was taken from the subjects in 10 trials after 48 hours. The collected data were analyzed using SPSS software version 22 and inferential statistics of combined analysis of variance.

Results: The results showed that although the performance of all groups in the acquisition test was the same; however, in the retention phase, the focus internal group performed better than the other two groups; while there was no difference between the two groups of external focus and control in the phase of retention.

Conclusions: Therefore, it can be concluded that exercise with internal focus instructions leads to more learning in children with autism. However, further study is needed to determine the factors influencing this finding.
Keywords
motor learning
attentional focus
autistic children
throwing
journal of motor and behavioral sciences
Volume 8, Issue 3
Autumn 2025