Parent Descriptions of the Active Play Behaviors of Their Twins and Triplets With Autism

in Adapted Physical Activity Quarterly

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Marie Abu Itham Faculty of Health Sciences, Ontario Tech University, Oshawa, ON, Canada

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https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7579-5587
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Serene Kerpan Faculty of Health Sciences, Ontario Tech University, Oshawa, ON, Canada

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https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8606-398X
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Robert Balogh Faculty of Health Sciences, Ontario Tech University, Oshawa, ON, Canada

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https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7270-9025
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Meghann Lloyd Faculty of Health Sciences, Ontario Tech University, Oshawa, ON, Canada

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https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1642-8063 *
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1123/apaq.2022-0171
Keywords:
autism spectrum disorder; multiples; physical play
First Published Online:
21 Apr 2023
In Print:
Ahead of Print
Page Range:
1–19
Restricted access

Children with autism engage in active play in different ways than children who are neurotypical, but their active play behaviors are not well understood. Research with twins and triplets with autism offers a unique opportunity to gain a clear picture of the play behaviors of children with autism because twins and triplets share many similarities (age, access to toys, etc.). Through semistructured interviews, this descriptive phenomenological study aimed to describe the active play behaviors of 19 twins and triplets with autism from the perspective of their parents (N = 9). The interviews revealed two main themes: (a) parents’ descriptions of active play and (b) parents’ descriptions of social play. The results reveal the diverse active and social play behaviors of twins and triplets with autism; parents described their children’s play behavior when engaging in sensory, indoor, outdoor, and organized play. These results suggest that children with autism may be meeting the definition of active play in nontraditional ways.

Abu Itham https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7579-5587

Kerpan https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8606-398X

Balogh https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7270-9025

Kerpan is now with Vancouver Island University, Nanaimo, BC, Canada.

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