Improving the Technology of Adaptive Physical Education for Students with Autism Based on Kazakhstan’s National Sports Games

Background and Study Aim. Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) commonly exhibit reduced participation in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity, partly due to sensory processing differences, motor-coordination difficulties, and limited cultural relevance of conventional physical-education curricula. Although Adapted Physical Education (APE) has demonstrated potential to improve motor and behavioral outcomes in ASD, many evidence-based programmes are implemented without consideration of local cultural contexts, which may constrain motivation, engagement, and sustainability. Previous studies suggest that sensory-informed and game-based interventions can enhance motor coordination, self-regulation, and adaptive functioning; however, culturally grounded approaches remain underexplored in school settings. The present study aimed to design and preliminarily evaluate a culturally anchored, sensory-informed APE programme integrating traditional Kazakh games for children with ASD. We hypothesised that, compared with usual practice, the programme would yield greater short-term improvements in motor coordination, sensory regulation, and adaptive behaviour. Material and Methods. A quasi-experimental, pre–post controlled study was conducted in two mainstream primary schools in Semey, Kazakhstan. Thirty-one children with clinician-confirmed ASD (aged 7–11 years) participated, with one school assigned to the intervention group (n = 16) and the other to a usual-practice control group (n = 15). The intervention comprised ten 55–60-minute APE sessions delivered over eight weeks, integrating graded vestibular and proprioceptive activities with culturally adapted Kazakh traditional games. Primary outcomes were gross-motor coordination (Paediatric Functional Movement Screen), sensory regulation (teacher-rated Sensory Profile-2), and adaptive behaviour (Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales–3). Mixed-effects linear models tested Group × Time interactions, with effect sizes expressed as Hedges’ g and p-values adjusted for multiple comparisons. Results. Attendance in the intervention group averaged 94%, and no adverse events exceeding grade 1 were recorded. Significant Group × Time interactions favoured the intervention for all primary outcomes: motor coordination increased by +12.3 points in the intervention group versus +1.7 in controls (padj = 0.009; g = 1.14); sensory regulation scores improved by +12.3 versus +1.8 (padj = 0.012; g = 0.96); and adaptive behaviour increased by +7.0 versus +1.4 points (padj = 0.041; g = 0.63). Improvements in sensory regulation were positively correlated with motor gains (r = 0.48, p = 0.046). Conclusions. A brief, culturally anchored, sensory-informed APE programme integrating traditional Kazakh games can be implemented safely and with high fidelity in mainstream schools and yields moderate-to-large short-term gains in motor coordination, sensory self-regulation, and adaptive behaviour among children with ASD. These findings support further evaluation of culturally responsive APE models in larger, cluster-randomised trials with extended follow-up.

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