Movement quality and body awareness in autism- experiences, assessment, and intervention
Bertilsson, Ingrid LU
(2024)
In Lund University, Faculty of Medicine Doctoral Dissertation Series
- Abstract
- Autistic persons often have difficulties with social interaction and communication. Sensory impressions are often processed differently than in neurotypicals. The person may be negatively affected bodily, e.g., being unstable or having reduced body awareness. The body awareness may be observed as an expression in movement quality. However, there is a lack of knowledge about experiences, assessment and interventions of problems with movement quality and body awareness in autistic persons.
The aim of this thesis was to describe experiences of movement quality in autism, to investigate measurement properties of a movement quality assessment, and to study possible effects of a body awareness intervention in autistic young... (More) - Autistic persons often have difficulties with social interaction and communication. Sensory impressions are often processed differently than in neurotypicals. The person may be negatively affected bodily, e.g., being unstable or having reduced body awareness. The body awareness may be observed as an expression in movement quality. However, there is a lack of knowledge about experiences, assessment and interventions of problems with movement quality and body awareness in autistic persons.
The aim of this thesis was to describe experiences of movement quality in autism, to investigate measurement properties of a movement quality assessment, and to study possible effects of a body awareness intervention in autistic young adults.
In a mixed-method study, Paper I explored the experiences of body and movements in autistic persons through individual interviews. The participants (n=11) were assessed with two physiotherapeutic instruments: the Body Awareness Scale Movement Quality and Experiences (BAS MQ-E) and Bruininks-Oseretsky’s test of motor proficiency (BOT2). Several problems were described, but the participants themselves did not understand that the problems were not a normal condition. The physiotherapeutic instruments could capture the experiences. In a phenomenological study, Paper II described physiotherapists’ experiences about movement quality in autism (n=10). They confirmed that movement problems often go unrecognized. The general structure of the movement pattern was described as fragmented, restrained and hesitant. Using Rasch analysis, in Paper III measurement properties of the BAS MQ in autistic persons (autism group n=108; reference group n=32) were investigated. BAS MQ was found to acceptably measure movement quality in autism, though improvements were possible. In a pragmatic RCT, Paper IV evaluated effects of Basic Body Awareness Therapy (BBAT) in autistic persons. The intervention group (n=28) received 12 individual therapy sessions with BBAT and treatment-as-usual (TAU; e.g., psychoeducation or working with structure in everyday life), whilst the control group (n=29) received TAU only. The primary outcome was measures of an individually experienced movement quality problem, as scored on a numeric rating scale. The secondary outcome was BAS MQ measures. The statistically significant results were in favor of the intervention group in both outcomes (p<0.001).
In conclusion, autistic persons experience several problems with body and movements, also described by physiotherapists. The problems often go subjectively unrecognized, creating difficulty in understanding oneself. By assessing their movement quality and body awareness with BAS MQ-E, autistic persons that may benefit from BBAT may be identified, and an intervention may be provided to enhance bodily resources and to achieve a better understanding of oneself in everyday life. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/6b6639ce-00e4-4ad8-b60e-f84e624336b0
- author
- Bertilsson, Ingrid
LU
- supervisor
- opponent
-
- professor Delafield-Butt, Jonathan, Research unit Health and Wellbeing, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow
- organization
- publishing date
- 2024
- type
- Thesis
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- autism, movement quality, body awareness, embodiment, body-mind therapies
- in
- Lund University, Faculty of Medicine Doctoral Dissertation Series
- issue
- 2024:117
- pages
- 96 pages
- publisher
- Lund University, Faculty of Medicine
- defense location
- Belfragesalen, BMC D15, Klinikgatan 32 i Lund. Join by Zoom https://lu-se.zoom.us/j/64404795784
- defense date
- 2024-10-29 09:00:00
- ISSN
- 1652-8220
- ISBN
- 978-91-8021-613-5
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- 6b6639ce-00e4-4ad8-b60e-f84e624336b0
- date added to LUP
- 2024-09-06 07:54:55
- date last changed
- 2025-04-04 14:25:46
@phdthesis{6b6639ce-00e4-4ad8-b60e-f84e624336b0,
abstract = {{Autistic persons often have difficulties with social interaction and communication. Sensory impressions are often processed differently than in neurotypicals. The person may be negatively affected bodily, e.g., being unstable or having reduced body awareness. The body awareness may be observed as an expression in movement quality. However, there is a lack of knowledge about experiences, assessment and interventions of problems with movement quality and body awareness in autistic persons. <br/><br/>The aim of this thesis was to describe experiences of movement quality in autism, to investigate measurement properties of a movement quality assessment, and to study possible effects of a body awareness intervention in autistic young adults.<br/><br/>In a mixed-method study, Paper I explored the experiences of body and movements in autistic persons through individual interviews. The participants (n=11) were assessed with two physiotherapeutic instruments: the Body Awareness Scale Movement Quality and Experiences (BAS MQ-E) and Bruininks-Oseretsky’s test of motor proficiency (BOT2). Several problems were described, but the participants themselves did not understand that the problems were not a normal condition. The physiotherapeutic instruments could capture the experiences. In a phenomenological study, Paper II described physiotherapists’ experiences about movement quality in autism (n=10). They confirmed that movement problems often go unrecognized. The general structure of the movement pattern was described as fragmented, restrained and hesitant. Using Rasch analysis, in Paper III measurement properties of the BAS MQ in autistic persons (autism group n=108; reference group n=32) were investigated. BAS MQ was found to acceptably measure movement quality in autism, though improvements were possible. In a pragmatic RCT, Paper IV evaluated effects of Basic Body Awareness Therapy (BBAT) in autistic persons. The intervention group (n=28) received 12 individual therapy sessions with BBAT and treatment-as-usual (TAU; e.g., psychoeducation or working with structure in everyday life), whilst the control group (n=29) received TAU only. The primary outcome was measures of an individually experienced movement quality problem, as scored on a numeric rating scale. The secondary outcome was BAS MQ measures. The statistically significant results were in favor of the intervention group in both outcomes (p<0.001).<br/><br/>In conclusion, autistic persons experience several problems with body and movements, also described by physiotherapists. The problems often go subjectively unrecognized, creating difficulty in understanding oneself. By assessing their movement quality and body awareness with BAS MQ-E, autistic persons that may benefit from BBAT may be identified, and an intervention may be provided to enhance bodily resources and to achieve a better understanding of oneself in everyday life.}},
author = {{Bertilsson, Ingrid}},
isbn = {{978-91-8021-613-5}},
issn = {{1652-8220}},
keywords = {{autism; movement quality; body awareness; embodiment; body-mind therapies}},
language = {{eng}},
number = {{2024:117}},
publisher = {{Lund University, Faculty of Medicine}},
school = {{Lund University}},
series = {{Lund University, Faculty of Medicine Doctoral Dissertation Series}},
title = {{Movement quality and body awareness in autism- experiences, assessment, and intervention}},
url = {{https://lup.lub.lu.se/search/files/196430821/LUCRIS_e-Avhandling_Ingrid_Bertilsson.pdf}},
year = {{2024}},
}