Can Participation in a Community Organized Football Program Improve Social, Behavioural Functioning and Communication in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder? A Pilot Study.
Community football can cut parent-reported behavior problems yet shows no Vineland social gains for autistic kids.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Howells et al. (2020) ran a pilot football program for autistic kids.
Parents brought their 5- to 12-year-olds to community fields for weekly practice.
The team used no control group and asked parents to rate behavior before and after.
What they found
Parents said problem behaviors dropped, but Vineland scores for social and talking skills stayed flat.
In short: fewer tantrums, same social level.
How this fits with other research
Ben-Itzchak et al. (2021) saw real social gains with dog-training twice a week.
Their crossover design gives stronger proof than this football pilot.
Rosso (2016) also used sport, but with teens and coach tips; parents saw better peer talk.
Pitchford et al. (2019) tried six weeks of golf and found gains in talk and social, unlike the flat Vineland here.
Why it matters
Football may calm behavior, but if social growth is the goal, pick programs with firmer evidence.
Try dog-training, golf, or coached multi-sport first.
If you use football, track social data yourself and add extra social-teaching steps.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
This pilot research investigated the effects of a community-based organized football program on behavioral, social and communicative outcomes in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. In a non-randomized design, 19 children completed the football program and were compared pre- and post-intervention with 21 children who received no comparable intervention (ages 5-12 years). Caregiver-report using the child behavior checklist indicated a significant decrease in total, internalizing, DSM-oriented anxiety and social problems for children who participated in the program, with no change in the comparison group. There were no group differences in socialization and communication scores on the Vineland Adaptive Behavior scale. Results provide preliminary evidence in support of the program, justifying the need for further, more rigorous trials in this area.
Journal of autism and developmental disorders, 2020 · doi:10.1007/s10803-020-04423-5