Investigation of the Effect Of Eight-Week Aqua Fitness Exercises On Some Strength Parameters And Body Composition With Autism Spectrum Disorder

The aim of this study is to examine the effect of eight-week aqua fitness (AF) exercises on some strength parameters and body composition of individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Twenty children with ASD, aged 5 to 9 years, who participated in basic physical activity training (BMT) for at least three months were enrolled in the study. Participants were randomly divided into two groups: AF exercise group (AFG) and basic movement training group (BMTG). The AFG group was trained for 8 weeks (2 days per week) using AF, while the BMTG group completed basic movement training (BMT) exercises for 8 weeks (2 days per week). Before and after the training programs, the medicine ball throw, flexibility test, vertical jump, standing long jump, and body fat percentage of the participants were determined. The Wilcoxon test was used for statistical analysis of the study. The study measured a significant difference before and after the AF training program medicine ball throw (p=.005), sit and reach test (p=.005), vertical jump (p=.005), standing long jump (p=.005) and body fat percentage in AFG, before and after training. medicine ball throw (p=.564), vertical jump (p=.461), and standing long jump (p=.674) did not change in the BMTG group before and after training. Sit and reach (p=.039) and body fat percentage (p=.032) changed significantly in BMTG. AF exercises had a positive effect on some strength parameters and body composition in individuals with ASD. AF Exercises showed more effective results than BMT exercises in individuals with ASD