Is Karate Training Effective In Improving Social Skills And Executive Functions In Children With Autism?

Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, Volume 51, Supplement 1 5S Limited research exists exploring recreational activities (e.g. sport) as an integrative approach to therapy to bring benefits in social skills and executive functions. PURPOSE: This study examined the effects of 12-week traditional Shotokan Karate training on social-emotional skills and executive functioning of children (8-11 years) with diagnosed autism spectrum disorder. METHODS: Twenty-eight children were matched into pairs based on age, gender, and autism severity, and randomly allocated into an intervention (n = 14) or waitlist control group (n = 14). The intervention group performed Kata techniques training two times per week (45 min). The intervention included typically-developing children that helped facilitate the social skills, and activities targeted to train specific domains of executive functions, namely behavioral inhibition, working memory, and cognitive flexibility. At baseline and after 12 weeks, parents assessed social skills and executive functioning respectively through the Social Skills Improvement System Rating Scale and Behaviour Rating Inventory of Executive Function. RESULTS: Findings suggest that intervention group showed significantly greater socio-emotional skills (Δ 8.9 ± 3.1, p < 0.001, d = 2.85) and lesser behavioral problems (Δ -8.0 ± 3.1, p < 0.001, d = 2.64) than the control group, and decreased the behavioral (Δ -3.6 ± 2.7, p < 0.001, d = 1.36), emotion (Δ -3.5 ± 2.1, p < 0.001, d = 1.63) and cognitive (Δ -2.3 ± 1.5, p < 0.001, d = 1.54) regulation indexes, and the Global Executive Functioning Composite (Δ -3.2 ± 3.3, p = 0.003, d = 0.97). CONCLUSION: After 12 weeks, children with ASD showed a greater socio-emotional competence such as communication, cooperation and engagement, a better executive functioning ability such as cognitive flexibility, inhibitory control and working memory and a lower aggressiveness, sadness, anxiety and hyperactivity. Since ASD is a broad economic and societal problem that affects individual, family, and community levels.