Motor behaviors in children with autism spectrum disorder with a neurotypical sibling

Background: Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) can experience issues in motor development and fall short of physical activity (PA) recommendations. Family members, especially parents and siblings, play important roles in influencing their motor behaviors. Objective: This study investigated motor behaviors (i.e., levels of PA, parent-perceived motor competence, and related family dynamics) in children with ASD during a historical event—the COVID-19 pandemic—during which most service approaches were not being used, and children with ASD were staying at home with their parents and neurotypical (NT) siblings. Methods: This cross-sectional study recruited 17 ASD–NT–parent triads (51 participants in total). Motor behaviors were all measured by questionnaires and surveys, with levels of PA also measured objectively using ActiGraph GT3X. Descriptive analyses were conducted. Results: Children with ASD participated in more types of sedentary activities than leisure-time and sports activities. Parents perceived a low level of motor competence in their children with ASD, and compared with siblings, they perceived more interactions and higher self-efficacy in supporting PA in children with ASD. Conclusion: The findings of this study can be helpful to us as we evolve our understanding and strategies to influence motor behaviors in children with ASD, ultimately to advance our service-delivery model to include family-based approaches. Implications: This study should inform future ASD studies of the importance of providing quality family-based PA/education programs for children with ASD and boosting parents' and NT siblings' self-efficacy in supporting PA in children with ASD.