Thesis (M.Sc)-Cairo University, 2024.

Bibliography: pages 67-86.

Purpose: was to inspect the efficacy of exercise program on social skills and bone mineral density (BMD) in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Subjects and Methods: Thirty children with ASD of both sexes participated in this study whose ages ranged from 8 to 10 years. They were assigned randomly into two groups with 15 participants for each. Group A (control group) received Calcium supplement, Vitamin D and Speech therapy and group B (study group) received the same program of the control group A in addition to an exercise program which was conducted in groups for 60 min/session, all participants in both groups underwent treatment program for successive three months. The Autism Social Skills Profile (ASSP), Second Edition was used to assess social skills in both groups and Dual Energy X-ray Absorptiometry (DEXA) was used to assess bone mineral density (BMD). Results: The demographic data of participants revealed non-substantial difference between the two groups concerning age, gender, weight, height in addition to body mass index (BMI). According to the outcome measures that were analyzed, the study group experienced a significant rise in ASSP after treatment in comparison with before treatment (p = 0.001), whereas the control group didn’t show any significant change (p = 0.13). The study group and the control group experienced a significant rise in BMD after treatment in comparison with before treatment (p = 0.001). The study group exhibited a statistically significant enhancement in comparison with the control group across all assessed variables after treatment. Conclusions: Based on the obtained results of the study, it can be concluded that the group exercise program has beneficial impacts on improving social interaction and BMD in children suffering from ASD

الأهداف: دراسة تأثير برنامج التمارين على المهارات الإجتماعية و كثافة العظام في الأطفال المصابين التوحد. الطرق الأساليب: اجريت الدراسة على 30 طفلا مصابون باضطراب التوحد ممن تتراوح أعمارهم من 8 الى 10 سنوات, وتم تقسيمهم الى مجموعتين متساويتين (المجموعة الضابطة أ ومجموعة الدراسة ب). تلقت كلا المجموعتين علاج النطق وجرعة الكالسيوم المناسبة وفيتامين د في حين تلقت المجموعة ب برنامج التمرينات العلاجية لمدة 60 دقيقة ثلاثة مرات في الأسبوع لثلاثة أشهر متتالية. تم تقييم المهارات الإجتماعية وكثافة العظام قبل وبعد التدخل العلاجي. النتائج: وجود تحسن في المهارات الإجتماعية أثناء وبعد التدخل العلاجي. ووجود تحسن في كثافة العظام بعد التدخل العلاجي. الاستنتاج: البرنامج الرياضى له تأثير إيجابي على كلا من المهارات الإجتماعية كثافة العظام للأطفال المصابون بإضطراب التوحد.

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Text in English and abstract in Arabic & English.