مطالب

Introduction: The present study aimed to determine the effects of a selected group exercise on motor skills and cognitive function in children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs).Methods: Forty children with ASD aged 5-12 years participated in this quasi-experimental study. The Bruininks–Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency (BOTMP), and the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST) were performed in 3 assessment stages of baseline, pretest, and posttest in Sports, Play, and Active Recreation for Kids (SPARK). The repeated-measures Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) were used for analyzing the collected data.Results: The current research results demonstrated that the selected exercises presented positive effects on motor skills (P<0.05) in the studied subjects; however, they indicated no significant effects on their cognitive function (P>0.05).Conclusion: According to the present study results, the SPARK’s training is effective on children with ASDs and severe mobility limitations; however, it presented no cognitive function improvement in the study participants.

Introduction: This research was conducted to determine whether professional athletes with Chronic Ankle Instability (CAI) exhibit differences in maintaining balance under conditions of with and without visual informationMaterials and Methods: Forty-five elite players with CAI were classified into soccer, volleyball, and basketball groups (n=15 each). All participants performed a static single-leg balance test in conditions wherein visual information was provided and withheld. Also, their center of pressure (CoP) oscillation parameters was measured. The data were examined through an analysis of variance (ANOVA) and the Tukey test.Results: A significant difference was found between the soccer and volleyball players (P=0.034) in anteroposterior CoP displacement. Furthermore, there was a significant difference between soccer compared with volleyball (P=0.001) and basketball (P=0.02) groups regarding mediolateral sway and sway area (P=0.003 and P=0.03, respectively) when they performed the test with their eyes open. A significant difference occurred between the soccer and volleyball players concerning anteroposterior and mediolateral sway (P=0.002 and P=0.04, respectively) and sway area (P=0.004) when they performed the test with their eyes closed.Conclusion: Given the necessity of maintaining a good balance in sports, volleyball coaches should design practices that reduce players’ reliance on visual information. These practices should strengthen their proprioceptive abilities through an increased challenge to their proprioceptive senses.