The Effect of Physical Activity Interventions on Executive Function Among People with Neurodevelopmental Disorders: A Meta-Analysis.

Sung et al. (2022) pooled 34 studies that tested physical activity for kids and adults with neurodevelopmental disorders. Ages ranged from 5 to 33. The team looked at how exercise changed scores on executive-function tasks.

They used meta-analysis math to find one overall effect size. The outcome was a medium boost to EF across all studies.

The combined result was a medium, significant gain in executive function after physical activity programs. The effect held across autism, ADHD, and other diagnoses.

That means a 30-minute dance, swim, or gym session can sharpen skills like shifting attention, holding rules in mind, and stopping impulsive moves.

Chan et al. (2021) and Koh (2024) ran similar meta-analyses but asked different questions. Sy looked at communication and social skills; Koh looked only at social skills. Both found small-to-medium gains, just like the EF boost here. Together the three papers show exercise helps thinking, talking, and playing.

Tse (2020) tested a simple 12-week jogging plan. Parents saw better emotion control and fewer behavior problems. That single study is inside the 2022 meta pool, so the new paper widens the same story.

Petrolo et al. (2025) warn that early EF deficits predict later social trouble. The 2022 meta answers that warning: movement sessions are a practical way to attack those early deficits.

You already run DTT or NET at the table. Adding three 30-minute movement breaks each week could lift working memory and inhibition without extra tabletop trials. Pick any activity the client enjoys—obstacle course, trampoline, or brisk walk—and track EF targets like turn-taking or rule-switching. You get two therapies in one slot.