Exploring the relationships between motor proficiency, independence and quality of life in adolescents with autism spectrum disorder

Abstract

The aim of this study was to explore the relationships between autism severity, motor performance, independence in daily living skills and quality of life in adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The study included 31 participants, aged 13–18 years. Evaluations were made with the Gilliam Autistic Disorders Rating Scale-2 (GARS-2), Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency-2 Short Form (BOT-2-SF), Functional Independence Measure (WeeFIM II), and Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL). Motor performance of the participants was determined as below average according to the norms of BOT-2 SF, and were negatively correlated with GARS-2 at a moderate level (r = −0.61, p < 0.001), and a moderate negative correlation was determined between GARS-2 and WeeFIM II (r = −0.65, p < 0.001) and PedsQL (r = −0.61, p < 0.001). Independence in daily living skills (DLS) and autism severity were found to be significant predictors of PedsQL (R² = 0.463, p < 0.05). Motor impairment still appears to be a missing piece of the puzzle for this age group. Promoting motor skill acquisition and independence could be a key factor in preventing the deterioration of physical health and improving quality of life in adolescents with ASD.

Keywords:

• autism spectrum disorder
• motor proficiency
• quality of life
• independence
• daily living skills
• adolescents

Acknowledgements

The authors wish to thank all participants and their parents for engaging in this study. The manuscript has been adapted from the master thesis of the first author. The authors are grateful to Caroline Walker for proofreading the manuscript.

Disclosure statement

The author(s) declared no conflict of interests with respect to the authorship and/or publication of this article.

This research was supported by a Grant from Anadolu University Fund (Project No: 1603S115).