The effect of physical activity interventions on youth with autism spectrum disorder: A meta‐analysis

The purpose of this meta‐analysis was to examine the effect of physical activity interventions on youth diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. Standard meta‐analytical procedures determining inclusion criteria, literature searches in electronic databases, coding procedures, and statistical methods were used to identify and synthesize articles retained for analysis. Hedge's g (1988) was utilized to interpret effect sizes and quantify research findings. Moderator and outcome variables were assessed using coding procedures. A total of 29 studies with 30 independent samples (N = 1009) were utilized in this analysis. Results from meta‐analyses indicated an overall moderate effect (g = 0.62). Several outcomes indicated moderate‐to‐large effects (g ≥ 0.5); specifically, moderate to large positive effects were revealed for participants exposed to interventions targeting the development of manipulative skills, locomotor skills, skill‐related fitness, social functioning, and muscular strength and endurance. Moderator analyses were conducted to explain variance between groups; environment was the only subgrouping variable (intervention characteristics) to produce a significant difference (QB = 5.67, P < 0.05) between moderators. While no significant differences were found between other moderators, several trends were apparent within groups in which experimental groups outperformed control groups. Autism Res 2018, 11: 818–833. © 2018 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Lay Summary Results of the meta‐analysis—a method for synthesizing research—showed physical activity interventions to have a moderate or large effect on a variety of outcomes, including for the development of manipulative skills, locomotor skills, skill‐related fitness, social functioning, and muscular strength and endurance. The authors conclude that physical activity's standing as an evidence‐based strategy for youth with ASD is reinforced.