Quality, Rigor, and Outcomes of Antecedent Exercise Strategies for Supporting Autistic Individuals: A Synthesis and Multilevel Meta-Analysis

IF 3.8 3区教育学 Q1 EDUCATION, SPECIAL

Exceptional Children Pub Date : 2025-10-22 DOI:10.1177/00144029251386292

Art Dowdy, Saehee An, Fernando Roldan

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Physical activity is a promising strategy for strengthening behavior and social engagement through its physiological and psychological benefits. Antecedent Exercise (AE) is a structured behavioral intervention aimed at mitigating meltdowns and promoting adaptive behaviors in Autistic individuals. This synthesis and multilevel meta-analysis of 34 studies, including diverse settings and exercise types, provides a nuanced examination of AE's effectiveness. AE demonstrated moderate efficacy with effect sizes of −0.342 ( SE = 0.089, p < .005, 95% CI [−0.517, −0.168]) for reducing meltdowns, and a substantial improvement of 0.806 ( SE = 0.166, p < .005, 95% CI [0.481, 1.13]) for increasing adaptive behaviors. Special education settings such as day centers and schools yielded robust outcomes, thus highlighting AE's effectiveness in an educational context. Interventions involving accessible activities like aerobic exercise routines and jogging also showed to be effective. Despite variability in study rigor and some indications of publication bias, AE appears to be a scalable intervention for educators and clinicians. Future research should address the long-term maintenance effects and optimal implementation strategies for maximizing AE's benefits in educational and clinical settings. This evidence supports the integration of AE into practices for improving the quality of life and educational outcomes for Autistic individuals.

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支持自闭症个体的事前运动策略的质量、严谨性和结果：一项综合和多水平荟萃分析

体育活动是通过其生理和心理上的好处来加强行为和社会参与的一种很有前途的策略。前事练习（AE）是一种结构化的行为干预，旨在减轻自闭症患者的情绪崩溃，促进其适应行为。对34项研究的综合和多层次荟萃分析，包括不同的环境和运动类型，提供了对AE有效性的细致检查。AE表现出中等效果，减少熔毁的效应量为- 0.342 (SE = 0.089, p < 0.005, 95% CI[- 0.517, - 0.168])，增加适应行为的效应量为0.806 （SE = 0.166, p < 0.005, 95% CI[0.481, 1.13]）。特殊教育环境，如日托中心和学校产生了强有力的结果，从而突出了AE在教育环境中的有效性。包括有氧运动和慢跑等日常活动在内的干预措施也显示出效果。尽管研究的严谨性存在差异，并且存在一些发表偏倚的迹象，但AE似乎是教育工作者和临床医生可扩展的干预措施。未来的研究应解决长期维持效果和最佳实施策略，以最大限度地提高AE在教育和临床环境中的效益。这一证据支持将AE整合到改善自闭症患者生活质量和教育成果的实践中。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Exceptional Children Multiple-

CiteScore

5.90

自引率

14.30%

发文量

期刊介绍： Exceptional Children, an official journal of The Council for Exceptional Children, publishes original research and analyses that focus on the education and development of exceptional infants, toddlers, children, youth, and adults. This includes descriptions of research, research reviews, methodological reviews of the literature, data-based position papers, policy analyses, and registered reports. Exceptional Children publishes quantitative, qualitative, and single-subject design studies.