A Trampoline Exercise Group: Feasibility, Implementation, and Outcomes

PURPOSE: There is increasing awareness of the need to improve physical activity, leisure skills and social interaction in children with autism and sensory processing/integration challenges. The goal of this study was to determine the feasibility of the methodology and to identify outcomes sensitive to change from participation in a trampoline exercise group. RATIONALE: Groups are a cost-effective method of treatment that can address motor concerns while supporting peer interaction and engagement. Parents frequently express concern about locating an appropriate group experience for their child with autism or sensory processing/integration challenges or finding a movement-based group experience for a child with differing motor abilities. Trampoline exercise is a movement program proposed as beneficial in enhancing motivation and participation in movement activities in children with developmental and sensory challenges (Giagazoglou, Sidiropoulou, Mitsiou, Arabatzi, & Kellis, 2015). DESIGN: An initial pre-experimental A-B single subject study was utilized to pilot procedures, assess feasibility of the methodology as well as identify sensitive outcome measure, followed by a quasi-experimental single group pre-test post-test design. Participants were recruited from a private clinic treating children with sensory processing and integration challenges who were recommended to the group by their occupational therapist due to difficulties in social participation. METHOD: Three children participated in the feasibility study: two boys and one girl, ages 4 to 7 years. Twenty-eight children from seven trampoline groups participated in the pretest posttest study; 22 males and 6 females, ages 4-10, mean age of 6.19. Each group received eight to ten, 50-minute sessions of trampoline exercise. The trampoline class followed the protocol of the Bellicon JumpOnIt! Get Moving! program. Outcome measures included Balance, duration of one-foot standing balance, eyes open and Broad Jump. Draw a Person (DAP) was included as a proxy for body awareness (Lampe, Lutzow, Blumenstein, Turova & Avles-Pinto, 2016). Parents completed the Social Skills Improvement System (SSIS; Gresham & Elliott, 2008), and the Sensory Processing Three Dimensions Occupational Performance Scale (SP3D-OPS; Miller, Schoen & Mulligan, 2018). A parent report visual analog scale (VAS) captured carryover of gains into home, school and community environments. Data were analyzed using the Wilcoxon Signed Ranks test. RE