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. 2023 Jun 12:14:1132074.
doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1132074. eCollection 2023.

Effectiveness of exercise intervention on improving fundamental motor skills in children with autism spectrum disorder: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Yu-Qin Ji  1 , Hao Tian  2   3 , Ze-Yu Zheng  1 , Zhuo-Yan Ye  4 , Qiang Ye  2
Affiliations

Effectiveness of exercise intervention on improving fundamental motor skills in children with autism spectrum disorder: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Yu-Qin Ji et al. Front Psychiatry. .

Abstract

Background: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a severe public health concern, and most of the children with ASD experience a substantial delay in FMS. This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of exercise interventions in improving FMS in children with ASD, and provide evidence to support the scientific use of exercise interventions in practice.

Methods: We searched seven online databases (PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Embase, EBSCO, Clinical Trials, and The Cochrane Library) from inception to May 20, 2022. We included randomized control trials of exercise interventions for FMS in children with ASD. The methodological quality of the included studies was assessed using the Physiotherapy Evidence Database Scale. Stata 14.0 software was used for meta-analysis, forest plotting, subgroup analysis, heterogeneity analysis, and meta-regression.

Results: Thirteen studies underwent systematic review (541 participants), of which 10 underwent meta-analysis (297 participants). Overall, exercise interventions significantly improved overall FMS in children with ASD. Regarding the three categories of FMS, exercise interventions significantly improved LMS (SMD = 1.07; 95% CI 0.73 to 1.41, p < 0.001), OCS (SMD = 0.79; 95% CI 0.32 to 1.26, p = 0.001), and SS (SMD = 0.72; 95% CI 0.45 to 0.98, p < 0.0001).

Conclusion: exercise interventions can effectively improve the FMS of children with ASD. The effects on LMS are considered as large effect sizes, while the effects on OCS and SS are considered as moderate effect sizes. These findings can inform clinical practice.

Systematic review registration: https://inplasy.com/inplasy-2022-12-0013/.

Keywords: autism spectrum disorder; children; exercise; fundamental motor skills; meta-analysis.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
PRISMA flow diagram of the selection studies (37).
Figure 2
Figure 2
The effect of exercise interventions on LMS.
Figure 3
Figure 3
The effect of exercise interventions on OCS.
Figure 4
Figure 4
The effect of exercise interventions on SS.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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