Adapted Judo for Children With Autistic Spectrum Disorders

The children were recruited via a number of associations of families with children with ASD and special education schools. All participants had been diagnosed with ASD according to the criteria of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders - Fifth Edition, (DSM-V). Individuals who had been advised against physical activity for medical reasons were excluded, as were those who had previously taken judo classes. The participants were invited to take part in the study voluntarily, and along with their parents were informed verbally and in writing as to the characteristics of the programme. Parents or legal guardians signed informed consent forms, and the children signed a consent document that explained the objectives and planned activities of the programme. The study was approved by the Research Ethics Committee of (blinded for review). All protocols applied in this research (including the management of the personal data of the participants) complied with the requirements specified in the Declaration of Helsinki of 1975 and its subsequent revisions.

The adapted judo programme is aimed at children of between 8 and 15 years of age who have been diagnosed with ASD and who being introduced to judo. All the project partners will contact institutions and organisations involved in the education of people with ASD in their respective localities and countries. The partners will explain the project and enlist the help of these institutions to recruit participants. All the study participants will be asked to sign an informed consent document that will be drafted in keeping with all applicable research ethics protocols, including a guarantee of the confidentiality of personal data and an assurance that participants can choose to abandon the study at any time.

The judo programme will be carried out over the course of two academic years (2020-21, 2021-22). The first school year will allow for pilot testing of the methods and point toward any necessary adaptations in the assessment techniques used. The design of this first phase will take into account prior experiences, expert input and information gleaned from focus groups in order to arrive at an initial proposal, which will then be subject to modification in accordance with results. The conclusions drawn from this initial experience will form the scientific and pedagogical basis for the definitive version of the programme.

The judo sessions will be offered in a large and well-ventilated space suitable for athletic activity in general and for judo in particular, such that the safety of the participants can be guaranteed. The judo equipment required for this project will include a tatami mat with a minimum surface area of 90 m2, made using high-density cushions that help prevent injuries and ensure that a wide range of activities can be carried out safely. Each participant will be outfitted with a judogui (a traditional uniform consisting of a cotton jacket and trousers and a belt that indicates the participant's level of technical skill).

The sessions will be an hour in length and will be held twice a week. Two instructors will lead each session, and at least four volunteers will have to be present to lend support. The sessions will be divided into three parts in accordance with the physiological principles of exercise: warm-up, main exercise and cool-down. The main content of the sessions will include: