ArticleBMC sports science, medicine & rehabilitation2024
Recreational ball games are effective in improving social communication impairments among preschoolers diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder: a multi-arm controlled study.
Article in BMC sports science, medicine & rehabilitation, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 9 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
9 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Comparative efficacy of various physical activity interventions on individuals with autism spectrum disorder: a systematic review and network meta-analysis.BMC public health · 2026Pooled it
- The impact of physical play-based games on executive functions and social behaviors in children with autism spectrum disorder: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2026Pooled it
- Targeting the Cerebellar Circuit: How Exercise Intervention Reshapes White Matter Networks to Alleviate Autism Symptoms.Biology · 2026Article
- Sports and physical activity interventions in autism spectrum disorder: a systematic literature review and meta-analysis.Frontiers in sports and active living · 2026Article
- Motor engagement, physical activity intensity, and enjoyment in pre-school children during different game-based formats.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Mini-Basketball for Preschool and School-Aged Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
- Twenty-Four-Hour Movement Behaviors and Social Functions in Neurodiverse Children: A Scoping Review.Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
- Article
- The intervention effect of structured martial arts games on behavioral impairments and motor functions in children with autism spectrum disorder.Frontiers in psychology · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
10 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThis study aimed to compare the effects of two 12-week training intervention experimental ball games combined with standard behavioral rehabilitation against a control group solely utilizing standard behavioral rehabilitation on social communication impairments (SCI) in preschool children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).
methodsA multi-arm controlled study design was implemented, involving 41 children diagnosed with ASD (mean age: 4.99 ± 0.76 years). 41 participants were randomized assigned to two experimental groups and a control group, The experimental group carried out ball combination training program group (BCTP) and mini-basketball training program group (MBTP) on the basis of routine behavioral rehabilitation, which underwent 12-week training interventions 5 times a week. The control group (n = 14) received only standard behavioral rehabilitation. Evaluations were conducted before and after interventions using the Social Responsiveness Scale, Second Edition (SRS-2).
resultsThe results suggest that both 12-week interventions, BCTP, and MBTP, led to significant improvements in social communication impairment among children with ASD (p < 0.05). Despite enhancing the overall scores on the SRS-2, these interventions displayed varying impacts across different sub-dimensions. BCTP primarily exhibited significant enhancements in social awareness and behavior pattern (p < 0.05), whereas MBTP significantly improved social cognition and social communication (p < 0.05). Both interventions showed slight improvements in social motivation.
conclusionsThe utilization of recreational ball games has showed to be effective in decreasing the impairment levels of children with ASD, while the control group experienced a worsening of outcomes. This suggests that irrespective of the specific ball game strategy employed, both can be employed on a weekly basis to complement standard behavioral rehabilitation and enhance the ability to improve the quality of life for children diagnosed with ASD.
trial registrationThe trial is retrospectively registered on the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (ChiCTR1900024973;August 5, 2019).
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