Inclusion of Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder in Physical Education through Universal Design

Abstract

This paper addresses the impact of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) on children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) included in a Physical Education class. The problem arose when it was observed that a child with ASD was not included in Physical Education classes at a private educational institution in Montevideo, Uruguay. Therefore, research was conducted to assess the impact of the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) methodology on children with ASD included in a Physical Education class. To address this problem, the research consisted of three interconnected phases: diagnosis, intervention, and evaluation. The diagnostic phase aimed to understand the initial situation of the problem, and for this purpose, interviews and classroom observations were conducted. The intervention phase involved implementing various UDL methodologies and strategies to obtain results regarding their impact in a school Physical Education class. Finally, in the evaluation phase, the same instruments used in the diagnostic phase were employed. Therefore, we can affirm that the use of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) as a framework for Physical Education classes would have a positive impact on the inclusion of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).