{
  "abstract": "Septian Andriyani,1,2 Lina Anisa Nasution,2 Agni Laili Perdani,2 Setiawan Setiawan,3 Meita Dhamayanti,3 Apryadno Jose Al Freadman Koa,4 Chi-Jane Wang,5 Henny Suzana Mediani61Doctoral Study Program in Medical Science, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Padjadjaran, Sumedang, Indonesia; 2Department of Nursing, Faculty of Sport and Health Education, Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia, Bandung, West Java, Indonesia; 3Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Padjadjaran, Sumedang, Indonesia; 4Post-Doctoral Fellowship, Department of Nursing, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan; 5Department of Nursing, College of Medicine, National Cheng-Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan; 6Department of Pediatric Nursing, Faculty of Nursing, Universitas Padjadjaran, Sumedang, IndonesiaCorrespondence: Henny Suzana Mediani, Department of Pediatric Nursing, Faculty of Nursing, Universitas Padjadjaran, Sumedang, Indonesia, Email henny.mediani@unpad.ac.idBackground: Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental condition characterized by deficits in social communication and restricted, repetitive behaviors, affecting approximately 1 in 31 children in the United States. Children with ASD frequently demonstrate gross motor impairments and social skill deficits that compromise daily functioning and peer participation. Physical activity interventions have emerged as a promising non-pharmacological approach; however, no systematic review has focused simultaneously on both outcomes using exclusively RCT evidence from the past decade.Purpose: To systematically review and synthesize RCT evidence on the effects of physical activity interventions on (1) gross motor skills and (2) social skills in children and adolescents with ASD aged 0– 18 years.Methods: Systematic searches were conducted across PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus, and Web of Science for RCTs published 2016– 2026 in English. The review followed JBI methodology and PRISMA 2020 reporting standards. Quality assessment used the Cochrane Risk of Bias 2 (RoB 2) tool, and narrative synthesis followed the SWiM guideline.Results: From 367 identified records, 275 remained after deduplication. After two-stage screening, 64 RCTs were included. Intervention types comprised general physical activity (n=16), dance/movement therapy (n=8), sport-based programs (n=8), exergaming/VR (n=6), aquatic therapy (n=5), yoga (n=4), equine therapy (n=4), and fundamental movement skills (n=4). Gross motor outcomes improved in 43 studies (67.2%) and social skill outcomes in 34 studies (53.1%). Risk of bias was \"some concerns” in 30 studies (46.9%) and \"high” in 34 studies (53.1%).Conclusion: Physical activity interventions demonstrate positive effects on both gross motor and social skills in children with ASD. Aquatic therapy showed the most consistent gross motor improvements, while equine therapy and martial arts demonstrated the strongest social outcomes. Interventions of ≥ 3 sessions/week over ≥ 8 weeks yielded the largest effects. Findings support integration of structured physical activity into multidisciplinary pediatric care for ASD.Osf Registration Doi: 10.17605/OSF.IO/KV9SM.Keywords: autism spectrum disorder, physical activity, gross motor skills, social skills",
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  "affiliations": [
    "Doctoral Study Program in Medical Science, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Padjadjaran, Sumedang, Indonesia",
    "Department of Nursing, Faculty of Sport and Health Education, Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia, Bandung, West Java, Indonesia",
    "Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Padjadjaran, Sumedang, Indonesia",
    "Post-Doctoral Fellowship, Department of Nursing, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan",
    "Department of Nursing, College of Medicine, National Cheng-Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan",
    "Department of Pediatric Nursing, Faculty of Nursing, Universitas Padjadjaran, Sumedang, Indonesia"
  ],
  "article_type": "review article",
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  "author_total": 8,
  "authors": [
    {
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        0,
        1
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      "name": "Septian Andriyani"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Lina Anisa Nasution",
      "orcid": "0000-0003-1584-8322"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Agni Laili Perdani",
      "orcid": "0000-0001-7105-1188"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2
      ],
      "name": "Setiawan Setiawan"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2
      ],
      "name": "Meita Dhamayanti",
      "orcid": "0000-0001-9661-0708"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        3
      ],
      "name": "Apryadno Jose Al Freadman Koa",
      "orcid": "0000-0001-6912-7577"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        4
      ],
      "name": "Chi-Jane Wang"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        5
      ],
      "name": "Henny Suzana Mediani",
      "orcid": "0000-0001-6960-3692"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/artsgftq1yqxc.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.2147/jmdh.s614085",
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  "licence_label": "CC BY-NC 4.0",
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  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/",
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  "pdf_url": "https://www.dovepress.com/article/download/121647",
  "pmcid": "PMC13733391",
  "pmid": "42985258",
  "published": "2026-10-01",
  "publisher": "Dove Medical Press",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/artsgftq1yqxc.ris",
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  "title": "Physical Activity Intervention on Gross Motor and Social Skills in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Systematic Review",
  "title_text": "Physical Activity Intervention on Gross Motor and Social Skills in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Systematic Review",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-11-08T12:23:10Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/artsgftq1yqxc",
  "venue": "Journal of Multidisciplinary Healthcare",
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