None listed
Conditions
Brief summary
Purposes: (1) To investigate the effects of a 3-month inline skating intervention, a 3-month yoga intervention, and a 3-month Taewondo intervention on cognitive, physical, and psychosocial outcomes in children aged 6 to 10 years with ASD and their parents; and (2) to assess whether the intervention effects will be sustained for at least 12 weeks after completion in children with ASD and their parents. The study hypothesizes that: (a) each 12-week intervention (inline skating, yoga, and Taekwondo) will lead to significant improvements in cognitive, physical, and psychosocial outcomes in both children with ASD and their parents; and (b) these improvements will be sustained for at least 12 weeks following the intervention in the primary participant groups.
Interventions
This study will be aimed to evaluate the effects of three 3-month exercise interventions—inline skating, yoga, and taekwondo—on children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) aged 6 to 10 years and their parents. Each intervention, conducted twice weekly for 80 minutes over 12 weeks, will be delivered in three formats: child-only intervention, parent-only intervention, and parent-child intervention.
Each year will focus on one type of exercise (Year 1: inline skating; Year 2: yoga; Year 3: taekwo
This study will be aimed to evaluate the effects of three 3-month exercise interventions—inline skating, yoga, and taekwondo—on children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) aged 6 to 10 years and their parents. Each intervention, conducted twice weekly for 80 minutes over 12 weeks, will be delivered in three formats: child-only intervention, parent-only intervention, and parent-child intervention. Each year will focus on one type of exercise (Year 1: inline skating; Year 2: yoga; Year 3: taekwondo), with new participants recruited annually: 20 for each of the child-only and parent-only groups, and 20 parent-child dyads for the parent-child group. Inline skating intervention a) The inline skating training protocol that suits the participants’ motor abilities will be produced by a skilled inline skating instructor. b) Schedule: The sessions will be delivered twice weekly over a continuous 12-week period during the 2025–2026 academic year. c) Session Structure: Each session will last 80 minutes and will include 15 minutes of warm-up, 60 minutes of main activity training (divided into 40 minutes of motor skill training and 20 minutes of cardiovascular training), and 5 minutes of cool-down. d) Program Dosage: The full intervention will consist of 24 sessions, totaling 32 hours of direct instruction. e) The intervention will be taught by a national coach who previously coached the Taiwanese national inline skating team and a research assistant with expertise in inline skating. Both instructors will have prior experience working with children with ASD. f) All sessions will be assisted and supervised by the primary researcher. g) Each session will be concluded with an opportunity to play with children’s favorite activities as a reward. h) All intervention sessions will be conducted in a gymnasium in a large and public urban university in South Taiwan. i) The training activities will be of low to moderate intensity, based on the Borg RPE scale. j) The intervention will be delivered in groups, each consisting of 20 participants. k) Participants will be assigned to the delivery formats based on participant choice, and then randomly assigned to either experimental group or wait-list control group. l) For each delivery format, the participants will stay in the delivery format. m) Session attendance will be used to assess adherence to the interventions. n) New participants will be recruited each year for each type of intervention. Yoga intervention a) Twelve structured yoga modules will be developed for this study based on the International Kids Yoga Alliance. b) Schedule: The sessions will be delivered twice weekly over a continuous 12-week period during the 2026–2027 academic year. c) Session Structure: The structured yoga modules followed a sequence of five components: (a) chanting (10 minutes), (b) preparatory practices (20 minutes), (c) yoga postures or asanas (20 minutes), breathing practices including breathing exercises and pranayama (20 minutes), and (e) relaxation (10 minutes). d) Program Dosage: The full intervention will consist of 24 sessions, totaling 32 hours of direct instruction. e) All sessions will be led by the yoga teacher who has relevant experience teaching children with disabilities. f) All sessions will be supervised and assisted by the primary researcher. g) Each session will be concluded with an opportunity to play with children’s favorite activities as a reward. h) All intervention sessions will be conducted in a gymnasium in a large and public urban university in South Taiwan. i) The training activities will be of low to moderate intensity, based on the Borg RPE scale. j) The intervention will be delivered in groups, each consisting of 20 participants. k) Participants will be assigned to the delivery formats based on participant choice, and then randomly assigned to either experimental group or wait-list control group. l) For each delivery format, the participants will stay in the delivery format. m) Session attendance will be used to assess adherence to the interventions. n) New participants will be recruited each year for each type of intervention. Taewondo intervetnion a) The Taewondo training protocol that suits the participants’ motor abilities will be produced by a skilled Taewondo instructor. b) Schedule: The sessions will be delivered twice weekly over a continuous 12-week period during the 2027–2028 academic year. c) Session Structure: The intervention program will consist of 10 minutes of warm-up, 30 minutes of blocking, punching, and kicking, 30 minutes of Poomsae, and 10 minutes of cool-down. d) Program Dosage: The full intervention will consist of 24 sessions, totaling 32 hours of direct instruction. e) All sessions will be led by a qualified Taekwondo instructor who has relevant experience teaching children with disabilities. f) All sessions will be supervised and assisted by the primary researcher. g) Each session will be concluded with an opportunity to play with children’s favorite activities as a reward. h) All intervention sessions will be conducted in a gymnasium in a large and public urban university in South Taiwan. i) The training activities will be of low to moderate intensity, based on the Borg RPE scale. j) The intervention will be delivered in groups, each consisting of 20 participants. k) Participants will be assigned to the delivery formats based on participant choice, and then randomly assigned to either experimental group or wait-list control group. l) For each delivery format, the participants will stay in the delivery format. m) Session attendance will be used to assess adherence to the interventions. n) New participants will be recruited each year for each type of intervention.
Sponsors
National Science and Technology Council
Study design
Allocation
Randomised controlled trial
Primary purpose
Treatment
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
All
Age
6 Years to 50 Years
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
The inclusion criteria for the participants with ASD will be as follows: (1) current age between 6 and 10 years, (2) a diagnosis of ASD based on the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th edition, text revision (DSM-V-TR), and (3) having no additional disabilities or diseases that may interfere with the exercise intervention program, cognitive assessments, physical or psychological evaluations. The inclusion criteria for the parents of participants with ASD will be as follows: (1) must be the primary caregiver of a child with ASD, and (2) must participate voluntarily, have no communication difficulties, and have no disabilities or diseases that may interfere with the exercise intervention program, physical assessments, or psychological evaluations.
Exclusion criteria
Children diagnosed with intellectual disability and cerebral palsy will be excluded.
Outcome results
None listed