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SYSTEMATIC REVIEW article

Front. Psychol.
Sec. Pediatric Psychology
Volume 15 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1399902
This article is part of the Research Topic Autism: The Movement (Sensing) Perspective a Decade Later View all 18 articles

Analyzing the Influence of Physical Exercise Interventions on Social Skills in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: Insights from Meta-Analysis

Provisionally accepted
Sung Hee Koh Sung Hee Koh *
  • Myongji University, Seoul, Republic of Korea

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) commonly encounter difficulties in social interactions and communication, significantly affecting their overall well-being. One proposed strategy to address these challenges is through physical exercise interventions. This study aims to conduct a meta-analysis to assess the impact of physical exercise interventions on the social skills of children with ASD.To perform this meta-analysis, we followed the Preferred Reporting Items of Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) Statement and the practical guide for transparent reporting of systematic reviews. Eligible studies included randomized controlled trials or quasi-experimental studies investigating the effects of physical exercise interventions on social skills among children with ASD. We used the standardized mean difference (SMD) to measure effect size.Results: Sixteen studies were included in the meta-analysis. The results indicated a significant improvement in social skills among children with ASD following physical exercise interventions (SMD = -0.54, 95% CI = [-0.63; -0.44]). The moderator analysis underscored the crucial role of age in explaining the intervention outcomes for enhancing social skills, with interventions lasting more than 12 weeks recommended for better social skills improvement.The findings of this meta-analysis provide robust evidence supporting the efficacy of physical exercise interventions in enhancing the social skills of children with ASD. The moderator analysis underscores the importance of considering both the mean age and duration of interventions when implementing such programs. These results underscore the significance of physical exercise as a viable option for improving social skills in this population. *

    Keywords: Autism Spectrum Disorder, ASD, Physical exercise intervention, Meta-analysis, Social Skills

    Received: 12 Mar 2024; Accepted: 17 Sep 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Koh. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Sung Hee Koh, Myongji University, Seoul, Republic of Korea

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