Abstract Study aim The aim of this study is to examine the impact of the Sherborne developmental movement (SDM) program on motor and psychosocial development and behavior in children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Material and methods Fifteen participants with ASD were assessed in motor development using the short form of Bruininks – Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency, Second Edition (BOT-2). Psychosocial functioning was evaluated with the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ-Hel), and behavior was measured using the Behavioral Summarized Evaluation (BSE). A pre-post intervention design with an experimental and a control group was employed. Results Participants in the intervention group demonstrated significant improvements in BOT-2 ( F = 36.845, p = 0.001, η 2 = 0.739) and prosocial behavior (PB) of the SDQ ( F = 35.977, p = 0.001, η 2 = 0.735), as well as reductions in the behavioral difficulties of the BSE ( F = 137.054, p = 0.001, η 2 = 0.913). Multiple regression analysis further indicated that PB was a significant predictor of motor development. Conclusion The findings support the efficacy of SDM as a body-based intervention for enhancing developmental outcomes in individuals with ASD. Despite limitations in sample size and setting, the study provides valuable evidence for incorporating SDM into special education curricula. Future research should adopt longitudinal and mixed-methods approaches to explore the long-term and generalizable effects of SDM.
Zoe et al. (Thu,) studied this question.