Effects of physical activity intervention on brain and cognitive development in children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder: an eeg study

The purpose of this study is to determine the effects of a learning with difference approach-based physical activity intervention on ASD symptoms, behavioral changes and brain activation in children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). The model of this research is the control group pre- and post-test design, which is one of the quantitative and experimental research designs. The sample of the study is the children diagnosed with ASD who are registered to special education and rehabilitation centers on the Anatolian Side of Istanbul. It consists of 21 children with ASD selected through criterion sampling. The data of the study were collected through Gilliam Autism Rating Scale-2 (TV-GARS-2), Repetitive Behavior Scale-Revised (RBS-R-TV) and Electroencephalography. Spss 27 and Fourier transform, t test in dependent groups and t test analysis in independent groups were used to solve the sub-problems of the research. Considering the results of the study, it was observed that there was a significant difference in the total scores of compulsive (compulsive) behaviors, social interaction, RBS-R-TV and TV-GARS-2 in the experimental group. However, significant differences were found in the theta and gamma band strength of the frontal region, low alpha band power of the parietal occipital region, and gamma band strength of the midline in the experimental group. Keywords: Autism spectrum disorder, autism symptoms, physical activity, learning with diversity, EEG, brain development, cognitive development