A meta-analytic review of the efficacy of physical exercise interventions on cognition in individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder and ADHD

Authors

Wei Z. Tan, Edith Cowan UniversityFollow
Julie Ann PooleyFollow
Craig P. Speelman, Edith Cowan UniversityFollow

Document Type

Journal Article

Publisher

Springer New York LLC

School

School of Arts and Humanities

RAS ID

23031

Comments

Tan, B. W., Pooley, J. A., & Speelman, C. P. (2016). A meta-analytic review of the efficacy of physical exercise interventions on cognition in individuals with autism spectrum disorder and ADHD. Journal of autism and developmental disorders, 46(9), 3126-3143.

https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-016-2854-x

Abstract

This review evaluates the efficacy of using physical exercise interventions on improving cognitive functions in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and/or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). This review includes a meta-analysis based on a random-effects model of data reported in 22 studies with 579 participants aged 3–25 year old. The results revealed an overall small to medium effect of exercise on cognition, supporting the efficacy of exercise interventions in enhancing certain aspects of cognitive performance in individuals with ASD and/or ADHD. Specifically, similar to the general population literature, the cognitive benefits of exercise are not consistent across all aspects of cognitive functions (i.e., some areas are not improved). The clinical significance of the reported effect sizes is also considered.

DOI

10.1007/s10803-016-2854-x

Related Publications

Tan, B. W. Z. (2017). The relationship between physical exercise and cognition in children with typical development and neurodevelopmental disorders. Retrieved from http://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses/2030

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.