The effect of motor and physical activity intervention on motor outcomes of children with autism spectrum disorder: A systematic review.
Motor and physical-play programs reliably boost movement skills in autistic kids, but most evidence is flimsy—run them with tight ABA controls.
01Research in Context
What this study did
The team hunted every paper that tested motor or physical play for kids with autism. They found 41 studies and pooled the results. Aquatics, exergaming, karate, and plain playground games all counted.
What they found
Almost every trial showed better balance, running, or ball skills after the program. The catch: most studies were small, had no control group, or used loose outcome tools. So the trend is hopeful, not proven.
How this fits with other research
Shahane et al. (2024) asked the same question in young adults and saw the same lift in fitness and mood. Together the two reviews trace a life-span line: movement helps across ages.
Wang et al. (2023) looked deeper. They ran a meta-analysis on the same pool of papers but counted core autism traits, not just motor scores. They found medium drops in social and repetitive problems when programs lasted 12 weeks or more. The 2020 review missed that angle, so the newer paper extends the story beyond muscles.
Ketcheson et al. (2017) is one of the few bright spots inside the weak pile. Their 8-week, 4-hour-a-day motor camp produced big gains. The review authors single out this kind of high-dose, manualized plan as the model future studies should copy.
Why it matters
You can feel safe adding swim, bike, or Wii-Fit stations to your session block. They will likely sharpen motor skills and may even trim stereotypy. Insist on clear protocols, daily measurement, and a control phase so your data stand up where past research has wobbled.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Difficulty performing age-appropriate motor skills affects up to 83% of children with autism spectrum disorder. This systematic review examined the effect of motor and physical activity intervention on motor outcomes of children with autism spectrum disorder and the effect of motor learning strategies on motor skill acquisition, retention, and transfer. Six databases were searched from 2000 to 2019. Forty-one studies were included: 34 intervention studies and 7 motor learning studies. The overall quality of the evidence was low. Participants included 1173 children with autism spectrum disorder ranging from 3 to 19 years. Results from level II and III intervention studies supported that participation outcomes improved with a physical education intervention; activity outcomes improved with aquatic, motor activity, motor skill, and simulated horse riding interventions; and body structure and function outcomes improved with aquatic, exergaming, motor activity, motor skill, and simulated horse riding interventions. Results from level II and III motor learning studies supported that motor skill acquisition improved with visual, versus verbal, instructions but was not influenced by differences in instructional personnel. More rigorous research on motor intervention is needed with well-controlled study designs, adequate sample sizes, and manualized protocols. In addition, research on motor learning strategies is warranted as it generalizes across motor interventions.
Autism : the international journal of research and practice, 2020 · doi:10.1177/1362361319885215