A Qualitative Exploration Of Parents’ Experience And Perceptions Comparing Individual To Group Sports In Young People With Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Background: Young people (YP) with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) may prefer individual to group physical activity (PA). Levels of PA may differ with disorder severity and age. This study explores parents’ experiences with YP suffering from ASD when choosing between group and individual PA.Method: Retrospective case note reviews identified 701 new referrals received by the National Child and Young People’s Services, Malta, between 2016 to 2017. Of them, 24 received a diagnosis of ASD without co-morbidities and 10 were chosen via purposive random sampling. An 11-component semi-structured interview guide was created specifically for use in this study. Parents were interviewed and a thematic analysis was carried out.Results: Only one young person carried out PA which met the World Health Organisation recommendations. More parents (group only: n=3; 30%, both: n=6 ; 60%) preferred group PA for their children, while more YP (individual only: n=4; 40%, both: n=4 ; 40%) preferred individual PA. Parents described both group and individual PA having benefits. Most parents felt ‘misrepresented' and wanted to have more ASD-friendly sports facilities developed in for YP in Malta. Long hours of screen time was also a major parental concern. Younger age and more severe ASD were associated with higher levels of PA. Lower levels of PA, older age and milder ASD were associated with higher use of technology.Conclusion: This study reported on the parents’ perceptions on PA and discusses a possible link between ASD severity, PA, age and technological devices. The recommendations from this study are aimed at informing the development of sport services to be outsized as a form of therapy in Malta.