Abstract
PURPOSE: To investigate the effects of a basketball intervention on the development of executive functions in children with autism spectrum disorder. METHODS: 22 autistic children aged 6-12 years old in the elementary school section of the Wuhu Autism Association were randomly assigned into an experimental group (n=11) and a control group (n=11). The experimental group underwent basketball intervention training three times a week for 60 min each time for a total of 12 weeks, while the control group did not participate in any physical education course training, and only carried out usual daily routines. Inhibitory function, working memory and cognitive flexibility of the autistic children were tested before and after the trial. RESULTS: After the basketball intervention, the experimental group showed significantly higher scores on the Stroop Color-Word Test, n-back task, and task-switching task were significantly higher than those of the control group (P < 0.01), which demonstrated the enhanced level of the experimental group in the three aspects of inhibitory control, working memory, and cognitive flexibility. CONCLUSION: Basketball training may potentially enhance executive function in children with ASD. Further discussion and mechanism analysis are warranted in future studies.