Katautism: An evidence-based model for inclusive education through judo and karate
Katautism is an evidence-based project that promotes inclusive education by supporting the inclusion of autistic children through the practice of judo and karate within the school curriculum. It originated in Italy as a pilot project in 2021/2022, was subsequently funded by Sport e Salute and developed into a national project in 2022/2023, and is currently (2024–2027) funded under the Erasmus+ Sport programme, expanding at the European level. The project is based on a structured organisational and communication model grounded in scientific evidence. The project contributes to SDG 4 by promoting inclusive and equitable quality education.
The main aims of the project are:
- To promote the inclusion of autistic children in school settings through sport
- To develop social, communication and motor skills
- To provide specialised training for coaches and psychologists on inclusive methodologies based on scientific evidence
- To create a replicable and sustainable model of inclusive education that can be applied across different sports disciplines
The project, promoted by the Italian Federation of Judo, Wrestling, Karate and Martial Arts (FIJLKAM), was initially developed as a pilot project in Italy in 2021/2022. It became a national project in 2022/2023 and is currently implemented a European project. FIJLKAM is the project leader, and the partners are Ramon Llull University (Spain), the European Judo Union (EJU), the University of Rome “Foro Italico”, and Sport Evolution Alliance (Portugal). To date, a total of 1,273 children have been involved, including 66 autistic children. The project has engaged 66 classes across 18 primary schools. Activities take place twice a week over a period of 24 weeks, with each session lasting one hour (two hours per week) during curriculum time. The initiative involves autistic children, their classmates, teachers, coaches, national and Olympic athletes, and families.
The project addresses the challenges related to the inclusion of autistic students in inclusive sports activities within school and sports contexts, where structured methodologies and specialised training are often lacking, leading to their exclusion. It also responds to the need to provide best practices based on evidence-based approaches and practical tools to foster active participation, communication and social interaction among students. Furthermore, the project includes awareness-raising activities for non-autistic children on the topic of autism through an accessible, text-free comic based solely on images.
Autistic children are often excluded from inclusive sports activities (McGarty, & Melville, 2018) due to the lack of specialised training among coaches, despite numerous scientific studies demonstrating the effectiveness of physical activity for autistic individuals (Bremer et al., 2016). The concept of a “life project” is essential for autistic people in order to pursue one of the main goals, namely autonomy. Within this framework, it is essential to create a social environment that facilitates this process by recognising diversity as an added value rather than a limitation.
Intervening within primary schools promotes awareness and understanding of autism from an early age. Families of autistic children often experience high levels of stress due to the lack of both intra- and extra-family support networks; therefore, having such opportunities within the school context represents a significant form of support and inclusion (Wang et al., 2022)
The project is implemented through a structured organisational and communication model consisting of six phases:
- Selection of schools and coaches
- Specialised training. The European project included a training course that has been made available on the European Judo Union platform, a project partner, free of charge for all interested judo coaches.
- Meetings with the parents of all participating children, individual meetings with the parents of autistic children, and meetings with the teachers involved in the project
- Implementation phase in schools (twice a week for six months)
- Final event with the participation of parents and national and Olympic athletes
- Data collection and analysis
Each class is eligible to participate if it includes at least one certified autistic child. The staff assigned to each class consists of two specialised coaches (to ensure that, where needed, a 1:1 ratio can be provided), one psychologist with expertise in autism who is always present during the sessions in an observational role and provides feedback to the coaches at the end of each session, as well as monthly supervision by the Project Manager and the technical supervisor.
The project is promoted by the Italian Federation of Judo, Wrestling, Karate and Martial Arts (FIJLKAM). The pilot and national phases of the project were funded by Sport e Salute S.p.A., a public company owned by the Ministry of Economy and Finance, which promotes sport and social inclusion in Italy. The project involves a multidisciplinary team composed of coaches specialised in autism, expert psychologists, teachers and families. It is implemented within primary school settings.
The project was initially launched as a pilot in 2021/2022, followed by its development as a national project in 2022/2023, and it is currently funded under the Erasmus+ Sport programme and implemented at the European level (2024–2027).
The pilot phase activities were carried out over a period of 12 weeks, twice a week. In the national and European phases, the activities are implemented over a total duration of 24 weeks, twice a week, always during curriculum time.
The project includes a scientific study that has led to a publication in an international journal published by Springer (Sport Sciences for Health), reporting significant improvements in behavioural aspects, social functioning and gross motor skills. The project involved children across all levels of autism (Levels 1, 2 and 3), all of whom showed significant improvements in all the areas analysed.
Individuals with Level 3 autism are often not included in inclusive projects because they are considered difficult to manage. A key factor that enabled effective management and inclusion was specialised training.
The Katautism project is based on the analysis of the needs of autistic individuals. Starting from these needs, if the necessary competences are in place to recognise them, successful outcomes can be achieved; however, if these competences are lacking, the result may be unsuccessful and perceived as problematic. The term “autism” is often associated with the word “problem”, which in many cases simply reflects an unmet or unrecognised need due to a lack of expertise.
It is therefore essential to provide specialised training for coaches across all sports disciplines in order to make sports accessible and inclusive.
The project has already undergone continuous scientific evaluation through studies analysing behavioural adaptations, social skills and motor competences of autistic children involved in the pilot and national phases, resulting in a scientific publication (Maussier et al., 2025). In addition, a book has been published as a reference manual for the project, entitled “Sport and Autism: the Katautism Model. Theoretical and practical guidelines for inclusive sports activities for autistic children” (Maussier, 2024). This publication presents not only the results, but also the theoretical foundations and practical applications of the model, including augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) images, visual schedules and assessment tools. It also reports satisfaction levels from parents, teachers, coaches and psychologists involved in the project.
Further analyses and scientific publications are planned in relation to the European project, which will conclude in 2027.
The model is designed to be transferable and adaptable to different educational and cultural contexts. For future developments, it is considered important to expand the project at an international level in order to strengthen the dissemination of good practices based on training and research.
Link to the Katautism pilot project video
Link to the Katautism national project video
Link to photos of the Katautism pilot project
Link to photos of the Katautism national project
Link to the Katautism pilot and national project website
Link to the Katautism Erasmus project website
Katautism – Judo program for the inclusion of autistic children at primary school
An example video of the training course for the European project
Dr. Nicole Maussier PhD, Research Fellow at the University of Rome “Foro Italico”, Project Manager and Founder of the KATAUTISM project, and member of the Scientific Committee of the Italian Federation of Judo, Wrestling, Karate and Martial Arts (FIJLKAM), where she is Project Lead for Adapted Physical Activity, Disability Sector Training, and Scientific Research. Email nmaussi@hotmail.it