Freedom to choose leisure activities benefits autistic people
March 2nd, 2011 - 12:55 pm ICT by ANIWashington, March 02 (ANI): An international team of researchers has suggested that giving autistic people the power to choose their own leisure activities during free time can boost enjoyment, as well as improve communication and social skills.
John Dattilo, professor, recreation, park and tourism management, Penn State, said that a group of 20 autistic adults who participated in a yearlong recreation program that offered them a chance to choose activities, scored higher on personality tests that measure social and communication skills than the control group of 20 autistic adults who were randomly assigned to the program’s waiting list. Participants met for two hours each weekday and could choose among several activities that promoted engagement and interactivity, including games, exercises, crafts and events.
The researchers said that after completing the program, participants showed significant improvement at recognizing and labeling emotions. The participants scored about 24 percent higher than the control group in the ability to recognize emotions in a person in a picture. The score of the participants’ ability to label those emotions correctly was 50 percent higher than the control group’s score.
Since people with autism are less willing to interact socially, caregivers are particularly interested in programs that help improve social and communication skills, according to Dattilo, who worked with Domingo Garcia-Villamisar, professor, psychopathology, Complutense University of Madrid Spain.
“The big measure for us in this program was the improvements in social behavior and interaction,” said Dattilo.
“The defining quality of people with autism is that they have difficulty in social situations.”
The participants also improved their ability to carry out executive functions, such as setting goals and maintaining attention.
The study has been published in the Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders. (ANI)
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Tags: autism spectrum disorders, autistic adults, complutense university of madrid, control group, defining quality, domingo garcia, executive functions, including games, john dattilo, personality tests, program participants, psychopathology, recreation park, recreation program, setting goals, social behavior, social situations, tourism management, university of madrid, university of madrid spain