Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is characterized by persistent difficul-ties in social communication and interaction, alongside restricted and repetitive patterns of behavior. Growing evidence suggests that play, physical activity (PA), and exercise may contribute to improvements in behavioral regulation and social functioning in individuals with ASD. However, findings across studies remain heterogeneous with respect to intervention type, intensity, and targeted outcomes, making it chal-lenging to draw unified conclusions. This narrative review aimed to synthesize and discuss existing literatures on play-based, PA, and exer-cise interventions targeting behavioral and social outcomes in individu-als with ASD. Overall, the literature indicated that PA and exercise pro-grams—particularly those incorporating social interaction, task-orient-ed play, or group-based formats—were associated with meaningful improvements in both sociobehavioral domains. Potential mechanisms underlying these effects included enhanced executive functioning, im-proved self-regulation, neurobiological adaptations, and increased op-portunities for social learning. Nevertheless, variability in study design, outcome measures, and methodological quality limits the generalizabili-ty of findings. Future research should prioritize well-designed trials with standardized outcome measures and clearly defined intervention pa-rameters to strengthen the evidence base and inform clinical and edu-cational practice.
Tae-Hyun Yoon (Wed,) studied this question.