The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of an exercise program based on functional behavior assessment (FBA) on stereotypic behaviors in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). A multiple baseline design across participants was ...
The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of an exercise program based on functional behavior assessment (FBA) on stereotypic behaviors in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). A multiple baseline design across participants was applied to three male children with ASD aged 7–10 years. The intervention was conducted twice a week for 8 weeks, for a total of 16 sessions. The target behaviors were hand flapping (Participant A), vocal stereotypy (Participant B), and hitting self/others (Participant C).
Functional behavior assessment was conducted using the Functional Assessment Interview (FAI), Motivation Assessment Scale (MAS), and Antecedent-Behavior-Consequence (A-B-C) recording. Results indicated that the stereotypic behaviors of Participants A and C were maintained by automatic positive reinforcement (sensory seeking), whereas the behavior of Participant B was maintained by social negative reinforcement (task escape). Exercise preferences were identified using the Multiple Stimulus Without Replacement (MSWO) assessment. The intervention program was developed by integrating function-based strategies, preferred exercises, and TEACCH structuring principles (physical, visual, and schedule structuring). Stereotypic behaviors were measured using partial interval recording, with a mean inter-observer agreement (IOA) of 93.8%.
Results demonstrated significant decreases in stereotypic behaviors for all participants during the intervention phase: 59.6% for Participant A, 40.5% for Participant B, and 38.1% for Participant C. Effect size analyses (PND: 87.5–93.8%, Tau-U: 0.900–0.979, IRD: 0.875–0.938) confirmed that the intervention was effective or highly effective for all participants. These reductions were maintained during the maintenance phase, with reduction rates of 71.1% (Participant A), 50.7% (Participant B), and 43.8% (Participant C) compared to baseline.
These findings demonstrate that integrating FBA-based function identification, preference-based motivation, and TEACCH structuring is effective for reducing stereotypic behaviors in children with ASD. For sensory-maintained behaviors, exercise functioned as matched stimulation, replacing the stereotypic behavior. For escape-maintained behavior, preferred exercise functioned as an abolishing operation, reducing the motivation to escape. This study provides a systematic protocol combining FBA and exercise intervention, supporting its application as an evidence-based practice in adapted physical education.