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Studies have reported that physical exercise reduces maladaptive stereotyped motor behaviours (SMB) in children with ASD, but these intervention studies vary in design and outcome. The present systematic review and meta-analysis included 22 studies, involving 274 children with ASD, to quantify the effect of exercise on SMB and its potential moderators. Multi-level modelling revealed a large overall effect, Hedges' g = 1.16, with significant heterogeneity across participant, treatment, and study levels. Further, a more appropriate model using between-case estimation for within-subject effects to improve comparability between single-case and group-design studies, yielded a smaller but still significant effect, g = 0.51. Lastly, higher exercise intensity, but not age, exercise duration or settings, reliably predicted treatment effectiveness. Implications for clinical practice and research are discussed., Author(s): Elizabeth J. Teh [sup.1] , Ranjith Vijayakumar [sup.2] , Timothy Xing Jun Tan [sup.2] , Melvin J. Yap [sup.2] Author Affiliations: (1) grid.4280.e, 0000 0001 2180 6431, Department of [...]

Objectives Hyperglycaemia first detected in pregnancy (HFDP), on the rise in urban sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), may negatively impact foetal neurodevelopment, with potential long-term cognitive consequences for the child. Data on this association from SSA is lacking, and we aimed to investigate the association in 3- to 6-year-old children in Soweto, South Africa. Methods In this comparative study, we compared cognitive skills measured with the Herbst Early Childhood Development Criteria test in 95 children born to mothers with HFDP and 99 participants unexposed to maternal HFDP. Fine and gross motor skills were secondary outcomes. Ordinal regression analysis with known confounders was performed for children born at-term. Results Of children exposed to HFDP born at-term, 24.3% scored 'high' and 25.7% scored 'low' in the cognitive subsection of the test, as opposed to 37.7% and 12.9% in the HFDP-unexposed group, respectively. In ordinal regression, exposed participants had a significantly lower odds of scoring in a higher cognitive category when adjusting for maternal confounders and socio-economic status (OR 0.33, 95% CI 0.15-0.74, p = 0.007). No difference was found in gross motor development between the two groups; differences in fine motor development were attenuated after adjustment for maternal pregnancy factors and household socioeconomic status (OR 0.62, 95% CI 0.28-1.37, p = 0.239). Conclusions for Practice Exposure to HFDP was negatively associated with cognitive development at preschool age. Optimising maternal (preconception) health and early childhood cognitive stimulation could help more children reach their developmental potential., Author(s): L. M. Soepnel [sup.1] [sup.2] , V. Nicolaou [sup.2] , C. E. Draper [sup.2] , N. S. Levitt [sup.3] , K. Klipstein-Grobusch [sup.1] [sup.4] , S. A. Norris [sup.2] [...]

The purpose of this study was to examine the moderating role of adaptive behavior on the pathways connecting motor competence, physical activity, and health-related fitness in 7-12 year old children with ASD (N = 27). Results demonstrate that motor competence and health-related fitness were positively related (r = .42, p < .05), and this relationship was moderated by adaptive behavior. Specifically, we found that motor competence and health-related fitness were significantly related for those participants scoring approximately one or more standard deviations below the mean on adaptive behavior. No other significant pathways were present. Implications of these associations and directions for future research are discussed., Author(s): Emily Bremer [sup.1] [sup.2] , John Cairney [sup.1] [sup.2] Author Affiliations: (1) grid.17063.33, 0000 0001 2157 2938, Faculty of Kinesiology and Physical Education, University of Toronto, , 55 Harbord [...]