Physical Activity Interventions for Children and Adolescents With Autism: A Second-Order Meta-Analysis

Area of Science:

• Autism Spectrum Disorder Research
• Developmental Psychology
• Exercise Science

Background:

• Previous meta-analyses on physical activity interventions for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) yielded inconsistent results.
• Heterogeneity in prior studies stemmed from variations in study design, intervention types, and outcome measures.

Purpose of the Study:

• To conduct a second-order meta-analysis synthesizing existing evidence on physical activity interventions for ASD youth.
• To investigate the effects of these interventions across various developmental domains.
• To identify moderators influencing intervention effectiveness.

Main Methods:

• Synthesized data from 34 first-order meta-analyses.
• Employed subgroup analyses and meta-regression to explore intervention effects and moderators.

Main Results:

• Physical activity interventions demonstrated significant positive effects (g = 0.58) for ASD youth.
• Largest improvements were noted in motor skills and sleep quality.
• Outdoor activities and ball sports yielded greater pooled effects compared to other modalities.

Conclusions:

• Physical activity interventions offer a promising non-pharmacological approach for enhancing developmental outcomes in ASD.
• Motor skills, sleep quality, and emotional-behavioral outcomes showed particular benefit.
• The increasing effect size with publication year suggests evolving intervention quality or design.