Choice of Exercises: The Impact of Preference and Selection of Exercises When Teaching Physical Activity Skills to People with Autism in the Community

People with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) engage in less physical activity (PA) than peers without disabilities which may impact long-term health (Srinivasan et al., 2014). Previous research found people with ASD identified freedom of choice (e.g., choice of PA) as an important factor that influences PA habits (Arnell et al., 2018). The purpose of this study was to explore the effect of choice of PA on independently performing PA skills. Following verbal identification of a preferred exercise from a pair, participants were taught to perform new PA skills using a previously identified behavioral intervention package (Bassette et al., 2018; Bassette et al., 2020). An adapted alternating treatment (AATD) single case design was used to compare the effect of preference of exercises (i.e., preferred vs. non-preferred conditions) on intervals of PA skills performed independently. Following mastery, exercise preference was re-assessed a second time. The AATD then explored independence in PA when participants were assigned non-preferred exercises compared to when they self-selected exercises. Generalization of independence when performing new self-selected exercises was assessed during the final phase. The implications of the differential effect of the conditions are discussed along with areas for future research.