The Effectiveness of Individual and Group Exercise Interventions on Social Skills and Physical Fitness in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of a 12-week karate and basketball training program on social skills and physical fitness in preschool children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

Three-arm randomized controlled trial (karate, basketball, control) with pre- and post-intervention assessments.

This study was conducted as a clinical trial across three specialized autism treatment centers in Tehran, involving 51 children aged 3–6 years diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. Participants were randomly and evenly assigned to three groups: karate, basketball, and control. The karate and basketball groups underwent 12 weeks of training, with three 60-minute sessions per week. Social skills and physical fitness were assessed before and after the intervention. No blinding was applied.

Inclusion Criteria: Diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) based on DSM-IV-TR criteria, Age between 3 to 6 years, No prior participation in formal karate or basketball training, Medically cleared for physical activity participation, Parental consent for participation Exclusion Criteria: Presence of severe psychiatric or neurological disorders, Severe visual or auditory impairments preventing participation in exercise, Medical conditions restricting physical activity, Use of medications affecting motor or cognitive function, Severe behavioral issues preventing cooperation in training sessions

The karate, basketball, and control groups. The karate and basketball groups performed 12 weeks of specific exercise training (three 60-minute sessions per week), while the control group did not participate in any physical activity.

Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS-2); balance; cardiorespiratory endurance; speed; handgrip strength; long jump.

In this study, simple randomization was used to assign participants to study groups. The randomization unit was individual, meaning that each child was independently assigned to one of the three groups: karate, basketball, or control. The randomization tool was EXECL software which generated the random sequence before the study began to prevent allocation bias. Allocation concealment was ensured using sealed and numbered opaque envelopes containing the group assignment for each participant. These envelopes were opened only after a participant's eligibility was confirmed by an independent researcher not involved in the randomization process. Stratified randomization was applied based on age and autism severity to ensure balance across groups for these key variables.

All data without participant names

6 months after publication of the article

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