Mini-Basketball Training Program Improves Physical Fitness and Social Communication in Preschool Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders

Abstract

This investigation examined the effects of a 12-week mini-basketball training program (MBTP) on physical fitness and social communication in preschool children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). The study applied a quasi-experimental design. Fifty-nine preschool children aged 3-6 years with ASD were assigned to either a MBTP group (n = 30) or a control group (n = 29). Participants in the MBTP group received a scheduled mini-basketball training program (5 sessions per week, forty minutes per session) for twelve consecutive weeks, while the control group was instructed to maintain their daily activities. The physical fitness test and the parent-reported Social Responsiveness Scale Second Edition (SRS-2) test were performed before and after the intervention. Results indicated that the 12-week MBTP facilitated performance in the physical fitness test, particularly in speed-agility and muscular strength abilities. Additionally, children in the MBTP group demonstrated improvement in SRS-2 performance in social awareness, social cognition, social communication, and autistic mannerisms, whereas no such changes were found in the control group. It may be concluded that the 12-week MBTP could improve physical fitness and social communication in preschool children with ASD, and thus the use of physical exercise intervention as a therapeutic tool for preschoolers with ASD is recommended.

Mini-Basketball Training Program Improves Social Communication and White Matter Integrity in Children with Autism

“…The mini-basketball training program (MBTP) conducted by two certified physical educators was adopted from previous studies [24][25][26][27] and operational details can be found in our published articles [13,28]. A program with various levels of difficulty was designed (Table 1), and a collective teaching mode was used to facilitate social interaction and communication among participants while parent's participation in and attendance at exercise sessions was strongly encouraged.…”

“…Up to now, various evidence-based ASD interventions (applied behavior analysis [8], discrete trial training [9], and pivotal response training [10]) that aimed to improve SC have been applied successfully, but to maximize such positive treatment effects, researchers have also started to encourage the use of physical exercise training programs as an adjuvant therapy for ASD children within usual care treatments [11][12][13]. Specifically, researchers found positive effects on antisocial behaviors [12] and SC-related outcomes (e.g., emotion regulation, social awareness, social cognition, social communication, and mannerisms) among ASD patients aged 3 to 12 years [11] following different physical training programs (e.g., swimming, jogging, martial arts, and basketball [14][15][16][17][18][19].…”

“…Among these physical training interventions, basketball training is deemed to be a promising intervention because this team sport requires individuals to set goals, make decisions, communicate, and manage conflicts in a supportive and trusting atmosphere which, in turn, might help to alleviate the SC deficits of children suffering from ASD. Indeed, it was observed that a specific basketball training program has superior effects on SC deficits as compared to the purely physical exercises (e.g., jogging) [11][12][13]. Thus, physically and communicatively demanding team sport exercises such as basketball seem to be a promising intervention strategy to lower SC deficits in ASD children.…”

Effects of Mini-Basketball Training Program on Social Communication Impairment and Executive Control Network in Preschool Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

“…Among them, mini-basketball has the inherent characteristics of basketball and is designed for children under 12 years old, which is parallel with the physical and mental developmental characteristics of children. Mounting evidence has demonstrated that a mini-basketball training program (MBTP) can effectively improve the core symptoms of children with ASD, as well as promote the development of physical fitness [ 14 ], cognitive function [ 15 , 16 ], and other aspects. Therefore, mini-basketball has been regarded as a promising and valuable means of intervention; however, the neural mechanism by which an MBTP improves SC impairment remains unclear.…”

The benefits of exercise programmes for pre-school children with autism spectrum disorders

“…Wang,JG Cai, KL Liu, ZM et al (2020). Effects of Mini-Basketball Training Program on Executive Functions and Core Symptoms among Preschool Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders.…”