ArticleFrontiers in public health2024
The impact of exercise intervention on social interaction in children with autism: a network meta-analysis.
Article in Frontiers in public health, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 11 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
11 citing papers in PubMed, 4 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
- Effects of exercise on anxiety and psychiatric comorbidities in children with autism spectrum disorder: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2026Pooled it
- A network meta-analysis of the effects of different rehabilitation intervention strategies on executive function in children and adolescents.European journal of pediatrics · 2025Pooled it
- The impact of exercise interventions on core symptoms of 3-12-year-old children with autism spectrum disorder: a systematic review and network meta-analysis.European child & adolescent psychiatry · 2025Pooled it
- Play, physical activity, and exercise interventions for behavioral and social outcomes in autism spectrum disorder: a narrative review.Journal of exercise rehabilitation · 2026Review
- Sports and physical activity interventions in autism spectrum disorder: a systematic literature review and meta-analysis.Frontiers in sports and active living · 2026Article
- Physical exercise therapy for autism spectrum disorder: a scoping review of systematic reviews.Frontiers in public health · 2026Article
- A Review of Therapeutic Approaches for Autism Spectrum Disorder.Brain sciences · 2025Review
- Autonomy-Supportive Circuit Training Program: Differential effects on adaptive behavior and emotional symptoms in children with and without autism spectrum disorder.PCN reports : psychiatry and clinical neurosciences · 2025Article
- Twenty-Four-Hour Movement Behaviors and Social Functions in Neurodiverse Children: A Scoping Review.Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
- The effects of adapted physical activity on physical activity levels and social adaptive behaviors in children with autism spectrum disorders: a study using the ICF-CY framework.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Background: Extensive research has documented the positive impacts of physical activity on children and adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). However, the specific benefits of various sports on the social functioning of children with ASD remain ambiguous. This study aims to employ a network meta-analysis to investigate the effects of different sports on the social functioning of children and adolescents with ASD and to establish a ranking of their effectiveness. Methods: This study conducted a comprehensive online search across Web of Science, PubMed, Cochrane, and Embase databases for randomized controlled trials and quasi-experimental studies focusing on social functioning outcomes. Data were synthesized using a Bayesian framework. Results: Sixteen relevant studies encompassing 560 participants were included. According to Cohen's classification, mini-basketball (SMD = 0.84, 95% CI: 0.46, 1.20), SPARK (SMD = 0.88, 95% CI: 0.06, 1.70), and Karate (SMD = 1.10, 95% CI: 0.27, 2.00) demonstrated high effect sizes, with Karate identified as the most effective intervention. Conversely, Combined Exercise and Nei Yang Gong interventions exhibited the least significant effects, falling below small effect sizes. Conclusion: Physical activity interventions have been shown to enhance social functioning in children and adolescents with ASD to varying extents, with Karate emerging as the most efficacious.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.