The Difference in Visual Skills Between Expert Versus Novice Soccer Referees The aim of this study was to compare the visual skills of expert and novice soccer referees. Twenty expert soccer referees, twenty two novice soccer referees and twenty non-athletes male students were investigated for facility of accommodation, peripheral vision, eye saccadic movements and speed of recognition. The results showed that the expert soccer referees were superior in all of the visual skills, but there was no significant difference between novice referees and non-athletes. This substantial difference between expert and novice soccer referees implies that these visual skills are important for refereeing soccer. For detecting other visual skills in soccer, referees must use visual skills from other programs. This study suggested that talent identification and development of visual abilities among soccer referees is of fundamental importance to success.

Previous studies have compared visual skills of expert and novice athletes; referees' performance has not been addressed. Visual skills of two groups of expert referees, successful and unsuccessful in decision making, were compared. Using video clips of soccer matches to assess decision-making success of 41 national and international referees from 31 to 42 years of age, 10 top referees were selected as the Successful group and 10 as the Unsuccessful group. Visual tests included visual memory, visual reaction time, peripheral vision, recognition speed, saccadic eye movement, and facility of accommodation. The Successful group had better visual skills than the Unsuccessful group. Such visual skills enhance soccer referees' performance and may be recommended for young referees.

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Background and Study Aim. This study aimed to determine the relationship between the level of fine and gross motor skills and motor proficiency with the severity of autism disorder in children with autism. Material and Methods. 68 children with autism, ranged from 3-16 years old, were selected. Motor Assessment Battery for Children-2 (MABC-2) was used to assess fine and gross motor skills and motor proficiency. Gilliam Autism Rating Scale-2 (GARS-2) test was also used for assessing the severity of autism disorder in the participants. Results. The obtained results from the Pearson correlation test showed that there was a significant and negative relationship between sub-scales of GARS-2 and MABC-2 tests (P<0.05). It means that decreasing the level of motor skills increases the autism severity. The results of the regression test also showed that only the total score of motor proficiency among microscales of the MABC-2 test could predict the stereotypes, social skills, communication skills, and autism severity (P<0.05). Conclusion. The results of the current study indicated the pivotal role of motor skills growth in determining the level of autism disorder. It also emphasized on embedding motor interventions in rehabilitation programs of such people.

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Background and Study Aim. This study aims to examine the relationship between the development of motor skills and the socio-economic status of families with body mass index (BMI) of children with autism disorder. Material and Methods. To this end, 68 children with autism at the age range of 6-13 years old were selected for the study. Their parents completed Family Socioeconomic Status Questionnaire. The motor skills level of children was measured by the Movement Assessment Battery for Children (MABC). The height and weight of children were measured to calculate their BMI.  Results. The results of the Pearson correlation test showed that there is a significant and negative relationship between the development of motor skills and the socioeconomic status of families with BMI of children with autism. The results of the linear regression test also indicated that motor development and family socioeconomic status are predictors of BMI in people with autism (P<0.05).  Conclusions. It is concluded that the socioeconomic status of the family and the motor development of children with autism are the determinants of their overweight and obesity and these factors should be considered in the interventions for children and families.

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Please note that the given name of the third author of this article was misspelled in the article as originally published. The correct spelling of Dr. Ghasemi's first name is BAbdollah^(not BAbdolla^).