Effects of Physical Exercise Interventions on Stereotyped Motor Behaviours in Children with ASD: A Meta-Analysis

Studies have reported that physical exercise reduces maladaptive stereotyped motor behaviours (SMB) in children with ASD, but these intervention studies vary in design and outcome. The present systematic review and meta-analysis included 22 studies, involving 274 children with ASD, to quantify the e...

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Published inJournal of autism and developmental disorders Vol. 52; no. 7; pp. 2934 - 2957
Main Authors Teh, Elizabeth J., Vijayakumar, Ranjith, Tan, Timothy Xing Jun, Yap, Melvin J.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published New York Springer US 01.07.2022
Springer
Springer Nature B.V
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ISSN0162-3257
1573-3432
1573-3432
DOI10.1007/s10803-021-05152-z

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Summary:Studies have reported that physical exercise reduces maladaptive stereotyped motor behaviours (SMB) in children with ASD, but these intervention studies vary in design and outcome. The present systematic review and meta-analysis included 22 studies, involving 274 children with ASD, to quantify the effect of exercise on SMB and its potential moderators. Multi-level modelling revealed a large overall effect, Hedges’ g  = 1 . 16, with significant heterogeneity across participant, treatment, and study levels. Further, a more appropriate model using between-case estimation for within-subject effects to improve comparability between single-case and group-design studies, yielded a smaller but still significant effect, g  = 0.51. Lastly, higher exercise intensity, but not age, exercise duration or settings, reliably predicted treatment effectiveness. Implications for clinical practice and research are discussed.
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ISSN:0162-3257
1573-3432
1573-3432
DOI:10.1007/s10803-021-05152-z