A2 Review article, Literature review, Systematic review
Cognitive and Academic Outcomes of Fundamental Motor Skill and Physical Activity Interventions Designed for Children with Special Educational Needs : A Systematic Review (2022)

Jylänki, P., Mbay, T., Byman, A., Hakkarainen, A., Sääkslahti, A., & Aunio, P. (2022). Cognitive and Academic Outcomes of Fundamental Motor Skill and Physical Activity Interventions Designed for Children with Special Educational Needs : A Systematic Review. Brain Sciences, 12(8), Article 1001. https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci12081001

JYU authors or editors

Publication details

All authors or editors: Jylänki, Pinja; Mbay, Theo; Byman, Anni; Hakkarainen, Airi; Sääkslahti, Arja; Aunio, Pirjo

Journal or series: Brain Sciences

eISSN: 2076-3425

Publication year: 2022

Publication date: 28/07/2022

Volume: 12

Issue number: 8

Article number: 1001

Publisher: MDPI AG

Publication country: Switzerland

Publication language: English

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci12081001

Publication open access: Openly available

Publication channel open access: Open Access channel

Publication is parallel published (JYX): https://jyx.jyu.fi/handle/123456789/82475

Additional information: This article belongs to the Special Issue From Bench to Bedside: Motor-Cognitive Interactions.

Abstract

This systematic review aimed to investigate the methodological quality and the effects of fundamental motor skills and physical activity interventions on cognitive and academic skills in 3- to 7-year-old children with special educational needs. The review was reported in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA 2020) statement. A literature search was carried out in April 2020 (updated in January 2022) using seven electronic databases, including ERIC, Scopus, Web of Science, PsycINFO, CINAHL, PubMed, and SPORTDiscus. The methodological quality of the studies was assessed with Effective Public Health Practice Project (EPHPP) Quality Assessment Tool. Cohen’s d effect sizes and post-hoc power analyses were conducted for the included studies. Altogether 22 studies (1883 children) met the inclusion criteria, representing children at-risk for learning difficulties, due to family background (nstudies = 8), children with learning difficulties (nstudies = 7), learning disabilities (nstudies = 5), and physical disabilities (nstudies = 2). Two of the included 22 studies displayed strong, one moderate, and 19 studies weak methodological quality. The intervention effects appeared to be somewhat dependent on the severity of the learning difficulty; in cognitive and language skills, the effects were largest in children at-risk due to family background, whereas in executive functions the effects were largest in children with learning disabilities. However, due to the vast heterogeneity of the included studies, and a rather low methodological quality, it is challenging to summarize the findings in a generalizable manner. Thus, additional high-quality research is required to determine the effectiveness of the interventions.

Keywords: physical activity; motor skills (general); cognitive skills; learning; learning difficulties; special education (teaching); family background; early intervention; systematic reviews

Free keywords: academic skills; cognition; early intervention; motor skills; physical activity; special educational needs; systematic review

Contributing organizations

Ministry reporting: Yes

Reporting Year: 2022

JUFO rating: 1