ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Pediatr.

Sec. Children and Health

Volume 13 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fped.2025.1590666

This article is part of the Research TopicAdvancing Motor Coordination Therapy for Children with Developmental DisordersView all 4 articles

The Impact of a Ball Sports Combination Training Program on Physical Fitness and Body Mass Index in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Provisionally accepted
Haiyong MaoHaiyong Mao1Kai QiKai Qi2ShuQiao MengShuQiao Meng3Kelong CaiKelong Cai1Lina ZhuLina Zhu1Weike ZhangWeike Zhang4Zhiyuan QiaoZhiyuan Qiao1Yang YangYang Yang1Aiguo ChenAiguo Chen1,5*
  • 1School of Physical Education, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, China
  • 2Faculty of Physical Education, Gdańsk University of Physical Education and Sport, Gdansk, Poland
  • 3Department of Physical Education, Xidian University, Xian, China, Xian, China
  • 4Qixiu middle school Nantong,China, Nantong, China
  • 5Department of Sports Health Sciences, Nanjing Sport Institute, Nanjing, Liaoning Province, China

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Objective: This study aims to explore the effects of a 12-week Ball Combination Training Program (BCTP) on the physical fitness and Body Mass Index (BMI) of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Methods: This study employed a 2×2 mixed experimental design. A total of 29 children diagnosed with ASD were included (mean age = 7.60 ± 2.81). The 29 participants were randomly assigned to either the BCTP group (n = 15) or the control group (n = 14). The BCTP group underwent 12 weeks of ball combination exercise training (5 times per week, 45 minutes per session) in addition to their regular rehabilitation therapy, while the control group continued their usual rehabilitation therapy and daily activities. BMI and physical fitness tests were conducted before and after the 12-week intervention. Results: The 12-week BCTP prevented increase in BMI (p < 0.05), which increased in the control group. Children in the BCTP group also showed improvements in physical fitness, which was measured using the 2 × 10-meter shuttle run, sit-and-reach, and tennis ball throw (p < 0.05), while no such improvements were seen in the control group.The 12-week BCTP prevented an increase in BMI and improved the physical fitness of children with ASD in terms of speed, agility, flexibility, and upper body strength. Therefore, we recommend incorporating ball combination exercises into the physical rehabilitation of children with ASD to improve overall physical health and fitness.

Keywords: Ball sports, Autism Spectrum Disorder, Children, Physical Fitness, Body Mass Index

Received: 10 Mar 2025; Accepted: 07 Jul 2025.

Copyright: © 2025 Mao, Qi, Meng, Cai, Zhu, Zhang, Qiao, Yang and Chen. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

* Correspondence: Aiguo Chen, School of Physical Education, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, China

Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.

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