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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Psychol.
Sec. Movement Science
Volume 15 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1481945
This article is part of the Research Topic Multisensory integration: unveiling the complexities of perception View all articles

Improving Sensory Integration in Chinese Children with Moderate Sensory Integration Challenges through Engaging Basketball Training

Provisionally accepted
Sha Ge Sha Ge 1*Xuepeng Guo Xuepeng Guo 2Bo Y. Jiang Bo Y. Jiang 3Alberto Cordova Alberto Cordova 4Wan X. Yao Wan X. Yao 5*
  • 1 School of Sports Science, Tianjin Normal University, Tianjin, China
  • 2 Department of Physical Education, Tiangong University, Tianjin, China
  • 3 School of Public Health, Jilin Medical University, Jilin, China
  • 4 Department of Kinesiology, College for Health, Community and Policy, University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas, United States
  • 5 University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, United States

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

    Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of combining basketball training with a traditional sensory integration therapy (SIT) versus a SIT alone in enhancing sensory integration capability among Chinese children diagnosed with mild challenges in sensory integration and sensory processing (CSISP).Methods: This study comprised a Control group and an Experimental group, both undergoing a 10-week intervention (4 sessions/week, 45 minutes/session). The Control group exclusively participated in traditional SIT for all sessions. In contrast, the Experimental group engaged in traditional SIT for two sessions per week and Basketball training for the remaining two sessions weekly. Three sensory integration measures (vestibular sensation, tactile perception, proprioception) and five gross motor performance measures (balance beam walking speed, single-leg standing with eyes closed, tennis ball throw, two-legged jump speed, ten-meter shuttle run) were assessed before and after the ten-week training period. Separate 2 (Group) x 2 (Test Phases) Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) with repeated measures on the second factor were conducted for each measure. Interaction effects were further explored using Tukey's HSD test to clarify their nature.Results: Both groups demonstrated significant improvements in all sensory integration and gross motor performance measures following the ten-week training sessions (p < .001). Importantly, the group receiving the combination of basketball training and traditional SIT significantly outperformed the group undergoing SIT alone in all assessed areas.These results indicate that combining basketball training with traditional SIT enhances sensory integration capabilities more effectively among Chinese children aged 4-6 years with moderate CSISP compared to utilizing SIT alone.

    Keywords: sensory integratio, Sensory integration disorder, sensory integration therapy, Basketball, Children

    Received: 16 Aug 2024; Accepted: 16 Dec 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Ge, Guo, Jiang, Cordova and Yao. 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:
    Sha Ge, School of Sports Science, Tianjin Normal University, Tianjin, 300387, China
    Wan X. Yao, University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, United States

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.