The present study aimed to compare the effect of a land-based and a swimming-based exercise program on balance abilities in children with autism. Thirty children were voluntarily selected and randomly assigned to karate exercise, aquatic training and control groups. Participants practiced for 10 weeks, 2 sessions of 60 min per week. Before and after the 10-week intervention, static and dynamic balance tests were administered. The results showed that both interventions had a significant effect on balance abilities (p < 0.001); interestingly, we found the greater improvement in balance performance in kata techniques group. Due to the importance of balance performance on daily functions, communication and interaction skills, karate and swimming exercises can be the valuable interventions added to autism's daily programs. Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials number: IRCT20180626040242N1

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Background. Evaluating motor skills and using an appropriate tool for the diagnosis and evaluation of motor proficiency in preschool-aged children seems critical. Objectives. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the validity, reliability, and sensitivity of the Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency, Second Edition Brief Form (BOT-2 BF), in preschool children. Methods. A total of 306 preschool children (aged four to seven years) participated in this study. To evaluate the validity of the test, the canonical correlation statistic method was used to calculate the correlation between the subscales of this test and the Movement Assessment Battery for Children (MABC) test. To evaluate the reliability by the time reliability method, 50 subjects were retested after an interval of two weeks. The sensitivity analysis and receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC curve) tests were used to determine the ability to diagnose a developmental coordination disorder (DCD). Results. The results of the canonical correlation analysis showed that there is a significant linear relationship (p<0.001) between the BOT-2 and the MABC tests. The intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC=0.80) was high for time reliability. The appropriate cutoff point was 13. At this point, the area under the ROC curve was 0.91 for sensitivity and 0.93 for the characteristic, and in general, the area under the curve was 0.97. Conclusion. According to the results of this study, it seems that the BOT-2 has an appropriate validity and reliability as well as a high sensitivity and characteristic in preschool children, and can be used to evaluate motor skills and diagnose children with DCD.

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