Focusing Attention to Improve Throwing Skills in Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder: Exploring the Influence of Working Memory.
Qaith Mohammad Ramadan, Ayoob Sabaghi, Ali Heirani
PMID 39803369WHAT IT FOUND
For boys aged 6 to 8 with autism, instructions to focus on their own body movements led to better long-term throwing accuracy than instructions to focus on the target.
Working memory scores did not predict this learning.
Key findings
01Internal attention instructions resulted in superior retention performance compared to external attention instructions.
02There was no significant difference between internal and external attention groups during the acquisition phase.
03Working memory capacity was not significantly correlated with performance in either the acquisition or retention phases.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
The sample size was small (24 participants), limiting generalizability. The study only included boys aged 6 to 8 with IQs above 80, so results may not apply to girls, younger/older children, or those with intellectual disabilities. The task was a simple beanbag throw, which may not reflect complex functional movements. The study was quasi-experimental, not randomized, which can introduce bias.
Declared interests
No specific funding or conflict of interest declarations were provided in the text.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume internal focus is superior for all motor skills or all ages. This finding is specific to young boys with autism learning a simple throwing task; external focus often remains better for neurotypical learners and more complex tasks.