Communication, collaboration and confidence: exploring the impact of community-based sport programme for individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

There is a growing body of work that outlines the manner in which sport can have a positive impact on the communication, collaboration, and confidence skills of individuals with ASD, from academics andgovernment departments. This approach to psychological and social development through the medium of sport is through what Coalter (2008) labels ‘sport plus’ programmes. Community sport programmes use non-sport objectives in sport development initiatives to ‘hook’ participants. Given that national governing bodies, official sport clubs, and government intervention are contributing to the increase in opportunities for people with ASD to participate in physical activity, it is becoming increasingly important to understand these programmes, particularly in terms of productivity, monitoring, and evaluation (Nichols et al., 2019).

This study is based upon the perceptions of eight individuals who are involved with the community sport programme under investigation. Specifically, two players with ASD, three parents and three coaches were interviewed to explore their views on the effectiveness of the sport programme for players with ASD. The research utilised grounded theory to systematically analyse the data generated through interviews. Given that it has been suggested (by Arnell et al., 2018) that there is a lack of empirical evidence for sports assumed appropriateness in the context of ASD in sport for development, this study draws upon various models, including, Teaching Personal and Social Responsibility (TPSR) model to help illustrate the data. This model aligns with best practices for developing social and emotional behaviour and appears to reflect much of what was expressed by the research participants in regard tothe psychological and social impacts of the programme, and how coaches and parents contribute to the benefits of the programme.