Skip to main content
Key Specialties
Anesthesiology Cardiology Dermatology Diabetology Endocrinology Gastroenterology General Medicine Geriatrics Hematology Infectious Diseases Internal Medicine Nephrology Neurology Obstetrics and Gynecology Oncology Pediatrics Psychiatry Radiology Respiratory Medicine Rheumatology Surgery Urology
Congress Coverage
2024 ESC Congress 2024 EAN Congress 2024 ASCO Annual Meeting 2024 ACC Congress
Clinical Collections
Advances in Alzheimer’s

2024 ESC Congress

Discover the latest news and 2024 updates on managing hypertension, heart failure, coronary syndromes, atrial fibrillation and arterial disease. 
ADVANCED SEARCH
Log in
Top
Sport Sciences for Health

16-05-2024 | Autism Spectrum Disorder | Research

Interaction of attention type with frequency of feedback on a throwing skill learning in children with autism

Authors: Elnaz Khodadadeh, Ayoob Sabaghi, Behrooz Ebrahimi

Published in: Sport Sciences for Health

Login to get access

Abstract

It has been observed that children with autism have problems in performance movement skills. Attention and feedback are two influential factors in learning movement skills. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to determine the interaction between the type of attention and the frequency of feedback on the learning of throwing skills in children with autism. The research was conducted with a sample size of 60 children with autism (mean age = 6.94 ± 0.42), who were divided into four experimental groups. Each group consisted of 15 participants and was categorized based on attention type and feedback frequency. The attention types included internal attention with a 100% frequency, internal attention with a 33% frequency, external attention with a 100% frequency and external attention with a 33% frequency. The task used was throwing darts (with a score range of 0 to 100). The research protocol included practicing the sandbag throwing skill as instructed, with a total of 45 attempts during the acquisition phase (5 blocks of 9 trials). After 24 h, a retention test was conducted. In the acquisition phase, a repeated measures ANOVA with factors including types of attention and frequencies of feedback, across 5 blocks, was employed. Furthermore, a two-way ANOVA test was applied for the retention test. The results indicated that internal attention was associated with superior learning outcomes compared to external attention during the retention test (P < 0.05). Moreover, in the retention stage, internal attention with a 100% frequency demonstrated the best performance (P < 0.05). However, we did not observe any significant effect of FF on learning outcomes at any stage of the study (P < 0.05). In summary, our research indicates that focusing on internal attention and providing consistent 100% feedback while teaching movement skills to children with autism yields the best results. However, more studies are necessary to confirm these conclusions.
Literature
1.
2.
3.
Narzisi A, Posada M, Barbieri F et al (2020) Prevalence of autism spectrum disorder in a large Italian catchment area: a school-based population study within the ASDEU project. Epidemiol Psychiatr Sci 29:e5CrossRef
4.
Qiu S, Lu Y, Li Y et al (2020) Prevalence of autism spectrum disorder in Asia: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Psychiatry Res 284:112679PubMedCrossRef
5.
Alshaigi K, Albraheem R, Alsaleem K, Zakaria M, Jobeir A, Aldhalaan H (2020) Stigmatization among parents of autism spectrum disorder children in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Int J Pediatr Adolesc Med 7(3):140–146PubMedCrossRef
6.
Samadi SA, Mahmoodizadeh A, McConkey R (2012) A national study of the prevalence of autism among five-year-old children in Iran. Autism 16(1):5–14PubMedCrossRef
7.
Bhat A (2023) Multidimensional motor performance in children with autism mostly remains stable with age and predicts social communication delay, language delay, functional delay, and repetitive behavior severity after accounting for intellectual disability or cognitive delay: a SPARK dataset analysis. Autism Res 16(1):208–229PubMedCrossRef
8.
Zhou B, Xu Q, Li H, Zhang Y, Li D, Dong P (2022) Motor impairments in Chinese toddlers with autism spectrum disorder and its relationship with social communicative skills. Front Psych 13:938047CrossRef
9.
10.
Eggleston JD, Olivas AN, Vanderhoof HR, Chavez EA, Alvarado C, Boyle JB (2021) Children with autism exhibit more individualized responses to live animation biofeedback than do typically developing children. Percept Mot Skills 128(3):1037–1058PubMedCrossRef
11.
van der Veer IP, Bastiaenen CH, Goetschalckx M, van der Wielen-Heezius NN, Rameckers EA, Klingels K (2023) Therapists’ use of instructions and feedback in motor learning interventions in children with developmental coordination disorder: a video observation study. Phys Occup Ther Pediatr 43(6):678–696PubMedCrossRef
12.
Marco-Ahulló A, Villarrasa-Sapiña I, Romero-Martínez J, Monfort-Torres G, Toca-Herrera JL, García-Massó X (2024) Effect of reduced feedback frequencies on motor learning in a postural control task in young adults. Sensors 24(5):1404PubMedPubMedCentralCrossRef
13.
Niźnikowski T, Łuba-Arnista W, Arnista P et al (2022) An external focus of attention enhances table tennis backhand stroke accuracy in low-skilled players. PLoS ONE 17(12):e0274717PubMedPubMedCentralCrossRef
14.
Al-Abood SA, Bennett SJ, Hernandez FM, Ashford D, Davids K (2002) Effect of verbal instructions and image size on visual search strategies in basketball free throw shooting. J Sport Sci 20(3):271–278CrossRef
15.
Bull HG, Atack AC, North JS, Murphy CP (2023) The effect of attentional focus instructions on performance and technique in a complex open skill. Eur J Sport Sci 23(10):2049–2058PubMedCrossRef
16.
Tapan T, Şahan A, Erman KA (2023) The effect of internal and external focus of attention on tennis skill acquisition in children. Front Psychol 14:1308244PubMedPubMedCentralCrossRef
17.
18.
Wulf G, McNevin N, Shea CH (2001) The automaticity of complex motor skill learning as a function of attentional focus. The Q J Experimen Psychol Sect A 54(4):1143–1154CrossRef
19.
van Abswoude F, Nuijen NB, van der Kamp J, Steenbergen B (2018) Individual differences influencing immediate effects of internal and external focus instructions on children’s motor performance. Res Q Exerc Sport 89(2):190–199PubMedCrossRef
20.
Keehn B, Nair A, Lincoln AJ, Townsend J, Müller R-A (2016) Under-reactive but easily distracted: an fMRI investigation of attentional capture in autism spectrum disorder. Dev Cogn Neurosci 17:46–56PubMedCrossRef
21.
Keehn B, Müller R-A, Townsend J (2013) Atypical attentional networks and the emergence of autism. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 37(2):164–183PubMedCrossRef
22.
Allen G, Courchesne E (2001) Attention function and dysfunction in autism. Front Biosci 6(1):105–119CrossRef
23.
Tse AC (2019) Effects of attentional focus on motor learning in children with autism spectrum disorder. Autism 23(2):405–412PubMedCrossRef
24.
Asadi A, Aiken C, Heidari S, Goudini R, Saeedpour-Parizi MR (2022) The effects of attentional focus on visuomotor control during observational learning in children with autism spectrum disorder. Res Autism Spectr Disord 98:102041CrossRef
25.
26.
Schoenmaker J, Houdijk H, Steenbergen B, Reinders-Messelink HA, Schoemaker MM (2023) Effectiveness of different extrinsic feedback forms on motor learning in children with cerebral palsy: a systematic review. Disabil Rehabil 45(8):1271–1284PubMedCrossRef
27.
28.
Schmidt RA (1991) Frequent augmented feedback can degrade learning: evidence and interpretations. In: Requin Jean, Stelmach George E (eds) Tutorials in motor neuroscience. Springer, pp 59–75CrossRef
29.
Marco-Ahulló A, Sánchez-Tormo A, García-Pérez JA, Villarrasa-Sapiña I, González LM, García-Massó X (2019) Effect of concurrent visual feedback frequency on postural control learning in adolescents. J Mot Behav 51(2):193–198PubMedCrossRef
30.
Sparrow W, Summers J (1992) Performance on trials without knowledge of results (KR) in reduced relative frequency presentations of KR. J Mot Behav 24(2):197–209PubMedCrossRef
31.
Sánchez-Tormo A, Marco-Ahulló A, Estevan I, Monfort-Torres G, García-Massó X (2020) Rate of concurrent augmented auditory feedback in postural control learning in adolescents. Mov Sport Sci/Sci Mot 109:15–21CrossRef
32.
Gandía J, García-Massó X, Marco-Ahulló A, Estevan I (2019) Adolescents’ postural control learning according to the frequency of knowledge of process. J Mot Learn Dev 7(2):204–214CrossRef
33.
Zamani MH, Fatemi R, Karimi S (2015) Effects of feedback with different frequency on throwing skill learning in children with autism spectrum disorder compared to normal children. Int J School Health 2(1):1–7CrossRef
34.
35.
Petranek LJ, Bolter ND, Bell K (2019) Attentional focus and feedback frequency among first graders in physical education. J Teach Phys Educ 38(3):199–206
36.
Hirai M, Sakurada T, Izawa J et al (2021) Greater reliance on proprioceptive information during a reaching task with perspective manipulation among children with autism spectrum disorders. Sci Rep 11(1):15974PubMedPubMedCentralCrossRef
37.
Lidstone DE, Mostofsky SH (2021) Moving toward understanding autism: visual-motor integration, imitation, and social skill development. Pediatr Neurol 122:98–105PubMedPubMedCentralCrossRef
38.
Fast K, Wentz E, Roswall J, Strandberg M, Bergman S, Dahlgren J (2024) Prevalence of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and autism in 12-year-old children: a population-based cohort. Dev Med Child Neurol 66(4):493–500PubMedCrossRef
39.
Alsayouf HA, Alsarhan O, Khreisat W, Daoud A (2024) Atomoxetine treatment of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder symptoms in 3–6-year-old children with autism spectrum disorder: a retrospective cohort study. Children 11(2):163PubMedPubMedCentralCrossRef
40.
Faul F, Erdfelder E, Lang A-G, Buchner A (2007) G* Power 3: a flexible statistical power analysis program for the social, behavioral, and biomedical sciences. Behav Res Methods 39(2):175–191PubMedCrossRef
41.
Emanuel M, Jarus T, Bart O (2008) Effect of focus of attention and age on motor acquisition, retention, and transfer: a randomized trial. Phys Ther 88(2):251–260PubMedCrossRef
42.
Baraheni MN (1974) Raven’s progressive matrices as applied to iranian children. Educ Psychol Measur 34(4):983–988CrossRef
43.
44.
Schauder KB, Mash LE, Bryant LK, Cascio CJ (2015) Interoceptive ability and body awareness in autism spectrum disorder. J Exp Child Psychol 131:193–200PubMedCrossRef
45.
Cowie D, Makin TR, Bremner AJ (2013) Children’s responses to the rubber-hand illusion reveal dissociable pathways in body representation. Psychol Sci 24(5):762–769PubMedCrossRef
46.
Bremner AJ, Hill EL, Pratt M, Rigato S, Spence C (2013) Bodily illusions in young children: developmental change in visual and proprioceptive contributions to perceived hand position. PLoS ONE 8(1):e51887PubMedPubMedCentralCrossRef
47.
Marko MK, Crocetti D, Hulst T, Donchin O, Shadmehr R, Mostofsky SH (2015) Behavioural and neural basis of anomalous motor learning in children with autism. Brain 138(3):784–797PubMedPubMedCentralCrossRef
48.
Haswell CC, Izawa J, Dowell LR, Mostofsky SH, Shadmehr R (2009) Representation of internal models of action in the autistic brain. Nat Neurosci 12(8):970–972PubMedPubMedCentralCrossRef
49.
Wild KS, Poliakoff E, Jerrison A, Gowen E (2012) Goal-directed and goal-less imitation in autism spectrum disorder. J Autism Dev Disord 42:1739–1749PubMedCrossRef
50.
Dawson G, Carver L, Meltzoff AN, Panagiotides H, McPartland J, Webb SJ (2002) Neural correlates of face and object recognition in young children with autism spectrum disorder, developmental delay, and typical development. Child Dev 73(3):700–717PubMedPubMedCentralCrossRef
51.
McKay B, Hussien J, Vinh M-A, Mir-Orefice A, Brooks H, Ste-Marie DM (2022) Meta-analysis of the reduced relative feedback frequency effect on motor learning and performance. Psychol Sport Exerc 61:102165CrossRef
52.
Masser LS (1993) Critical cues help first-grade students’ achievement in handstands and forward rolls. J Teach Phys Educ 12(3):301–312CrossRef
53.
Wulf G, Töllner T, Shea CH (2007) Attentional focus effects as a function of task difficulty. Res Q Exerc Sport 78(3):257–264PubMedCrossRef
54.
Landers M, Wulf G, Wallmann H, Guadagnoli M (2005) An external focus of attention attenuates balance impairment in patients with parkinson’s disease who have a fall history. Physiotherapy 91(3):152–158CrossRef
55.
Noel J-P, Zhang L-Q, Stocker AA, Angelaki DE (2020) Aberrant sensory encoding in patients with autism. bioRxiv 4(2):47
56.
Russo N, Skoe E, Trommer B et al (2008) Deficient brainstem encoding of pitch in children with autism spectrum disorders. Clin Neurophysiol 119(8):1720–1731PubMedPubMedCentralCrossRef
57.
Ostashchenko E, Geelhand P, Deliens G, Kissine M (2019) Struggling with alternative descriptions: impaired referential processing in children with autism spectrum disorder. Res Autism Spectr Disord 66:101414CrossRef
58.
Pooragha F, Kafi S-M, Sotodeh S-O (2013) Comparing response inhibition and flexibility for two components of executive functioning in children with autism spectrum disorder and normal children. Iran J Pediatr 23(3):309PubMedPubMedCentral
Metadata
Title
Interaction of attention type with frequency of feedback on a throwing skill learning in children with autism
Authors
Elnaz Khodadadeh
Ayoob Sabaghi
Behrooz Ebrahimi
Publication date
16-05-2024
Publisher
Springer Milan
Published in
Sport Sciences for Health
Print ISSN: 1824-7490
Electronic ISSN: 1825-1234
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11332-024-01215-7