ABSTRACT
The aim of this study was to examine the effects of a notational analysis-based intervention on coaches' verbal behaviour considering their physiological activation during competition and game actions. Verbal behaviour, physiological activation (heart rate), and game actions of 4 handball coaches were recorded for a total of 28 matches. Each coach was recorded in 7 matches, three pre-interventions, two post-intervention, and two retention. Verbal behaviour was assessed using the Coach Analysis and Intervention System (CAIS: Cushion et al., 2012), and game actions were coded as positive or negative depending on their outcome. In total, 15223 verbal behaviours and 3780 game actions were recorded. The intervention programme sought to help coaches to provide constructive information (corrective feedback and instructions) after negative events or actions, encourage players (especially when the team is losing or playing badly), reduce the protests to the referee, and reduce or eliminate punishment to players. Chi-square analysis suggested that the intervention stimulated the intended changes in coaches' behaviour, and that these changes were retained for subsequent games. Verbal behaviour changed depending on the physiological activation. This study suggests that a brief (two-session) notation-based intervention can elicit changes in coaches' verbal behaviour during competition.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Theoretical approaches propose a hierarchical organization of sensory and higher-order cognitive processes, in which sensory processing influence some cognitive and executive functions. AIMS: The main objective of this study was to analyze whether sensory processing dysfunctions can predict the cognitive and executive dysfunctions evaluated in a group of children with level 2 autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in the school context. METHODS AND PROCEDURES: Two groups of children participated: an ASD group (n = 40) and a group of children with typical development (the comparison group, n = 40). The children's sensory processing was evaluated based on their teachers' perceptions, and the children's executive and cognitive functions were evaluated using direct performance measures. RESULTS: In the ASD group, the sensory processing difficulties predicted executive and cognitive dysfunctions in the specific domains of inhibitory control, auditory sustained attention, and short-term verbal memory, after controlling the possible effect of ASD severity. Moreover, the ASD group showed higher levels of sensory, executive, and cognitive dysfunction than the comparison group. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: Future research should investigate whether adequate sensory interventions in children with ASD in the school context can improve these specific executive and cognitive functions.
