P3.197: Impact of Adaptive Gymnastics Program on Child Behaviors and Parental Stress: Results of a Pilot Study

Background: Children with neurodevelopmental disabilities (NDD) often have lower activity levels, poor strength, and decreased flexibility compared to typically developing peers, which can negatively affect health and self-esteem. Higher levels of parental stress have been shown in parents of children with NDD compared to parents of typically developing children. Adaptive Gymnastics (AG) is a once weekly class for children with NDD. Beyond providing an outlet for physical activity, AG also places emphasis on building social and communication skills. In this pilot study, we measured behavioral symptoms, social communication, and perceived parental stress over an eight-week session and longitudinally over three consecutive eight-week sessions. We hypothesized that negative child behaviors and perceived parental stress would be maintained or improved over the course of the study.

Methods: Children ages 5 to 13 who were enrolled in our AG program and their parent (families) were recruited for this study. Families completed the Pediatric Symptom Checklist (PSC-35), Emotion Dysregulation Inventory (EDI), Social Communication Questionnaire (SCQ), and Parental Stress Scale (PSS) at 4 time points approximately 8 weeks apart while their child was part of the adaptive gymnastics program. All statistical analyses were performed using SPSS 28 (Chicago, IL). All statistical tests were two-sided, and p< 0.05 was considered statistically significant. This study was approved by our IRB.

Results: A total of 18 families were recruited for the study, however 5 were immediately lost to follow up and another 2 families only completed one survey. There were 11 families that responded to at least one survey, and 5 families completed all surveys. Unsurprisingly, the mean SCQ score indicated a positive screen for ASD. EDI Reactivity also showed a clinically significant t-score at the initial survey, meaning the t-score is greater than one SD above population norms. Of note, PSS scores remained below the median value, suggesting lower levels of perceived stress. PSC-35 and SCQ showed significantly improved scores (p=0.025 and p=0.004, respectively) between the initial survey and first follow up survey. There were no significant differences between any scores for the EDI Reactivity Index, EDI Dysregulation Index, or PSS.

Conclusion: In conclusion, this pilot study of an AG program for children with NDD demonstrates promising decreases in negative child behaviors and lower perceived parental stress. Our study was severely limited by sample size and subject responsiveness. Future research should include program impact evaluations and community needs assessments to better provide these important opportunities for children with NDD. AG is providing a cost-effective opportunity for children with NDD who may not otherwise get the opportunity to participate in group based physical activity.