The Effect of Kangoo Jump Training on the Balance Function of Autistic Children with High Performance Level

Abstract

Children with autism spectrum disorder are prone to poor balance, postural stability, and postural abnormalities due to inactivity. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of Kangoo jump training on the balance function of children with autism spectrum disorder with high performance level. The method of this study was quasi-experimental. 20 subjects were selected from children with autism spectrum disorder in the Autism Association and autism schools in Tehran city using screening tests and were randomly divided into two groups (intervention and control) after measuring balance function as the pretest. The experimental group performed Kangoo jumps for 8 weeks and 3 sessions per week. After the intervention, all subjects’ balance function was measured by Stork test as the posttest. To test the research hypotheses, two-way multivariate analysis of variance was used. The findings of the present study showed that Kangoo jumps in the intervention group significantly improved balance function in children with autism spectrum disorder. The results also showed a significant difference in the results between the control and experimental groups in the posttest. Based on these results, Kangoo jumps can be useful to improve the balance function of children with autism spectrum disorder. Therefore this type of activity is recommended as an appropriate intervention method for children with autism spectrum disorder.

Keywords

• autism spectrum disorder
• children
• kangoo jumps
• static balance