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Physical Activity Interventions for Improving Cognitive Functions in Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder: Protocol
Longxi Li1, Anni Wang2, Qun Fang3
1Center for Leadership in Athletics, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States.
Insights
This systematic review and network meta-analysis will compare physical activity interventions for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). It aims to identify the most effective strategies for improving cognitive functions in children with ASD.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Psychology
- Pediatrics
Background:
- Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) affects millions of children globally, with early intervention significantly impacting outcomes.
- Physical activity interventions show promise for children with ASD, but their comparative efficacy is unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To update the literature on physical activity interventions for children with ASD.
- To explore the efficacy of various physical activity intervention strategies on cognitive functions in children with ASD.
Main Methods:
- A systematic review and network meta-analysis (NMA) following PRISMA-NMA guidelines.
- Searched 9 databases for studies on children (0-12 years) with ASD and physical activity interventions measuring cognitive outcomes.
- Evaluated study quality using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation framework and analyzed data using RStudio and Comprehensive Meta-Analysis software.
Main Results:
- Preliminary search identified 3778 studies; final eligible studies are anticipated to be between 30 and 50.
- Ongoing screening based on inclusion/exclusion criteria.
Conclusions:
- This study will provide a comprehensive review and NMA of physical activity interventions for children with ASD.
- Findings will inform clinical practice and future research, supporting physical activity as a key early intervention component for ASD.
Background:
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder that affects millions of children worldwide, with a current prevalence of approximately 1 in 54 children in the United States. Although the precise mechanisms underlying ASD remain unclear, research has shown that early intervention can have a significant impact on cognitive development and outcomes in children with ASD. Physical activity interventions have emerged as a promising intervention for children with ASD, but the efficacy of different types of interventions remains unclear.
Objective:
This study protocol aims to update the knowledge on extant literature and explore the efficacy of physical activity intervention strategies on cognitive functions in children with ASD.
Methods:
A systematic review and network meta-analysis (NMA) will be conducted following the PRISMA-NMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Protocols for Network Meta-Analyses) statement. A total of 9 bibliographic databases (APA PsycInfo, CENTRAL, Dimensions, ERIC, MEDLINE Complete, PubMed, Scopus, SPORTDiscus, and Web of Science) will be systematically searched to screen eligible articles based on a series of inclusion and exclusion criteria. A study will be considered for inclusion if it is not classified as a systematic review with or without meta-analysis, was published from inception to present, includes children aged 0 to 12 years with ASD, quantitively measures cognitive outcomes, and examines treatment comprising at least 1 physical activity intervention strategy. The internal validity and quality of evidence will be evaluated using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation framework. Statistical analyses will be performed in the RStudio software (version 3.6; RStudio Inc) with the BUGSnet package and the Comprehensive Meta-Analysis software (version 3.3; Biostat Inc). The results of our NMA will be illustrated through network diagrams accompanied by geometry and league tables. Further, to rank the interventions based on their efficacy, we will use the surface under the cumulative ranking curve.
Results:
Our preliminary search identified 3778 potentially relevant studies. The screening of the studies based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria is ongoing, and we anticipate that the final number of eligible studies will be in the range of 30 to 50.
Conclusions:
This study will provide a comprehensive review of the literature on physical activity interventions for children with ASD and will use NMA to compare the efficacy of different types of interventions on cognitive outcomes. Our findings will have important implications for clinical practice and future research in this area and will contribute to the growing body of evidence supporting the use of physical activity interventions as a key component of early intervention for children with ASD.
Trial Registration:
PROSPERO CRD42021279054; https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?RecordID=279054.
International Registered Report Identifier (Irrid):
DERR1-10.2196/40383.
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