Physical Activity Intervention on Gross Motor and Social Skills in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Systematic Review

@article{andriyani2026physical,
  title = {{Physical Activity Intervention on Gross Motor and Social Skills in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Systematic Review}},
  author = {Septian Andriyani and Lina Anisa Nasution and Agni Laili Perdani and Setiawan Setiawan and Meita Dhamayanti and Apryadno Jose Al Freadman Koa and Chi-Jane Wang and Henny Suzana Mediani},
  journal = {Journal of Multidisciplinary Healthcare},
  year = {2026},
  month = oct,
  doi = {10.2147/jmdh.s614085},
  url = {https://www.dovepress.com/physical-activity-intervention-on-gross-motor-and-social-skills-in-chi-peer-reviewed-fulltext-article-JMDH},
  note = {CC BY-NC 4.0},
}

TY  - JOUR
TI  - Physical Activity Intervention on Gross Motor and Social Skills in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Systematic Review
AU  - Septian Andriyani
AU  - Lina Anisa Nasution
AU  - Agni Laili Perdani
AU  - Setiawan Setiawan
AU  - Meita Dhamayanti
AU  - Apryadno Jose Al Freadman Koa
AU  - Chi-Jane Wang
AU  - Henny Suzana Mediani
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/10/01
JO  - Journal of Multidisciplinary Healthcare
DO  - 10.2147/jmdh.s614085
UR  - https://www.dovepress.com/physical-activity-intervention-on-gross-motor-and-social-skills-in-chi-peer-reviewed-fulltext-article-JMDH
AB  - 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 [email protected]: 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
SN  - 1178-2390
ER  -