فضل الله باقرزاده

Background and Aims Balance disorder is common among individuals with autism and can be considered one of the core features of this condition, as these individuals exhibit a range of postural instabilities. Therefore, this study aimed to compare the effects of cerebellar and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) on static balance in children with moderate autism spectrum disorder (ASD).Methods This quasi-experimental study, conducted with a pretest-post-test design, involved 36 children aged 7-10 years with moderate autism in Sanandaj City, Iran. The participants were purposefully selected and assigned to four groups of nine participants each: real cerebellar stimulation, real DLPFC stimulation, sham cerebellar stimulation, and sham DLPFC stimulation. The study included pretest, intervention, and post-test phases. During the pretest, participants stood barefoot on a force plate for 30 s, repeated thrice, with a one-minute rest between trials, while keeping their arms at their sides and looking forward. The intervention was conducted over two weeks, consisting of 10 20-minute sessions. The post-test was administered 24 hours after the final session. Data were analyzed using paired t tests and univariate analysis of covariance.Results Cerebellar and dlPFC tDCS significantly affected the anterior-posterior and central-lateral displacement of the center of pressure in children with moderate ASD (P<0.05). The results indicated that the anterior-posterior and central-lateral displacements of the center of pressure in children with moderate ASD were significantly reduced by cerebellar and dlPFC tDCS. However, other results of the present study indicated that there was no significant difference between cerebellar and dlPFC tDCS on the anterior-posterior and central-lateral displacement of the center of pressure in children with moderate ASD (P>0.05).Conclusion Considering the results obtained regarding the effect of cerebellar and dlPFC tDCS on the static balance of children with moderate ASD, these exercises are recommended as a cost-effective, accessible, and effective program to improve the balance of children with moderate ASD.

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental condition marked by social communication difficulties and repetitive behaviors, often accompanied by motor skill impairments. This study aimed to examine the effects of equine-assisted therapy and play therapy on perceptual–motor performance and key biomechanical parameters in adolescents with ASD.

This semi-experimental study employed a pretest–posttest design with a control group. Thirty-six adolescents with ASD (25 boys, 11 girls), aged 10–14 years, were recruited through convenience sampling. Participants were matched based on age, gender, and disorder severity, then randomly assigned to one of three groups: equine-assisted therapy (n = 12), play therapy (n = 12), or control (n = 12). The interventions were delivered over eight weeks, consisting of five 30-minute sessions per week. The control group continued their routine center-based activities. Running speed and agility, balance, bilateral coordination, and strength were assessed one day before and one day after the intervention period using the Bruininks–Oseretsky Test. Data were analyzed using paired-sample t-tests, analysis of covariance (ANCOVA), and Bonferroni post hoc tests.

Both equine-assisted therapy and play therapy produced significant improvements in overall perceptual-motor skills and all subtests (p < 0.005), whereas the control group showed no significant changes. ANCOVA revealed significant between-group differences, and Bonferroni post hoc analyses indicated that the control group scored lower than both intervention groups (p ≤ 0.005). Additionally, the equine-assisted therapy group outperformed the play therapy group in overall gross perceptual-motor scores and most subtests, although no significant difference was observed for bilateral coordination (p = 0.476).

The findings indicate that active, movement-based interventions—particularly equine-assisted therapy—can substantially enhance perceptual-motor skills and related biomechanical parameters in adolescents with ASD. The integration of motor, balance, and muscle-activation stimuli within these interventions appears to play a central role in improving motor performance and body coordination.

 The inability of individuals with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) to maintain attention for physical activities in schools has resulted in hyperactive children missing out on the most available school-level intervention; whereas, perceptual-motor training and physical activity programs improve cognitive performance in individuals with ADHD. Hence, the present study compares the effects of perceptual-motor training and physical education on cognitive performance in children with ADHD.

A total of 36 boys aged 10 to 12 years with ADHD were divided into three groups as follows: a perceptual-motor exercises group, a physical activity group, and a control group. The experimental groups underwent 12 sessions over four weeks, with three 45-min sessions per week. The participants completed the Wisconsin card sorting test and the Wechsler intelligence scale before and after the intervention. Meanwhile, paired t-tests and mixed analysis of variance were used for within-group and between-group comparisons, respectively.

The results of the paired t-test indicated significant improvements in perseverative errors, total errors, and numerical memory in both the perceptual-motor exercises group and the physical activity group from pre-test to post-test (P<0.005). The mixed analysis of variance results revealed significant differences among the three groups in all scores of perseverative errors (P<0.0005), total errors (P<0.005), and numerical memory (P<0.005) at the post-test stage. Post-hoc analysis showed that the perceptual-motor exercises group achieved significantly better scores in perseverative errors (P<0.005), total errors (P<0.005), and numerical memory (P<0.005) compared to the physical activity group.

The perceptual-motor exercises, which combine physical movements with cognitive tasks, help children with ADHD enhance their brain’s cognitive abilities. These exercises impact the prefrontal cortex of the brain, which is responsible for complex functions such as attention and memory.

Background and Aims: 

According to the social motivation theory, children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have reduced social motivation. This study aims to compare the effect of nature-based play therapy and therapeutic horseback riding (THR) on the Stanford social dimensions in adolescents with ASD.

Methods:

This is a quasi-experimental study with a pre-test/post-test design. The participants were 36 adolescents aged 10-16 years with high-functioning ASD in Bojnourd, Iran, who were selected using a convenience sampling method. They were randomly put in three groups: THR, play therapy, and control. The experimental groups underwent intervention for 8 weeks. Before and after the intervention, The Stanford social dimensions scale (SSDS) was completed by the parents of children. Paired t-test and analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) were used for within-group and between-group comparisons, respectively.

Results:

The results of the paired t-test showed that a significant improvement in all SSDS dimensions in the THR and play therapy groups from the pre-test to post-test phases (P<0.05). The results of ANCOVA showed a significant difference in the post-test stage between the three groups in all SSDS dimensions of social motivation (P<0.001), social affiliation (P<0.001), social communication (P<0.001), social recognition (P<0.001) and unusual approach (P<0.001). The results of post hoc test showed that the THR group had significantly better scores in social motivation, social affiliation, social communication and social recognition compared to the play therapy group. No significant difference was found between the two groups in the domain of unusual approach (P>0.05).

Conclusion: 

Both THR and nature-based play therapy can improve the Stanford social dimensions in adolescents with ASD, where the THR is more effective. Therefore, playing in nature and contact with horses are recommended for development of the key social dimensions in adolescents with ASD.

 The present study aimed to investigate the effect of strategic self-talk on volleyball players' performance and visual attention.

 This quasi-experimental research employed a pre-test/post-test design with a control group. Participants included 54 novice male volleyball players selected via convenience sampling. They were randomly assigned into five groups: instructional self-talk (n=10), motivational self-talk (n=11), instructional-motivational self-talk (n=10), motivational-instructional self-talk (n=11), and control (n=12). The self-talk intervention was conducted over 12 weeks, with three sessions per week. In both the pre-test and post-test phases, serving scores were recorded by the researcher, and participants' gaze behavior was measured using an eye tracker while performing a simple volleyball serve task. Data were analyzed using the Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) and Bonferroni post-hoc tests.

 The findings revealed that strategic self-talk had a significant effect on simple serve performance (P=0.0001) and quiet eye duration (P=0.0001). Bonferroni post-hoc tests indicated that instructional self-talk improved motor performance and increased quiet eye duration. Combined self-talk groups (instructional-motivational and motivational-instructional) also exhibited enhanced motor performance and prolonged quiet eye duration. However, motivational self-talk alone had no significant effect on motor performance and quiet eye duration.

 The results underscore the importance of instructional self-talk in enhancing performance and visual attention in novice volleyball players, supporting the attentional mechanisms underlying self-talk.

Background and Aims:

 Impaired balance and fear of falling in older adults can disrupt their daily activities and reduce their quality of life. Therefore, it is of great importance to use up-to-date and attractive exercises such as rock climbing in order to improve their balance and reduce the fear of falling. This study aims to investigate the effect of indoor rock climbing with and without environmental affordances on balance and fear of falling in older men.

Methods:

This quasi-experimental study was conducted on 36 older men aged 60-75, who were randomly divided into three groups of 12 people, including two experimental groups who performed indoor rock climbing with and without environmental affordances (educational and motivational instructions of the trainer, feedback, guidance, etc.) for eight weeks at two 40-minute sessions per week, and one control group who did not receive any training and performed routine daily activities. Three groups completed the berg balance scale (BBS) and fall efficacy scale-international (FES-I) in two pre-test and post-test phases. Paired t-test was used to examine within-group differences and the analysis of covariance was used for between-group comparisons.

Results:

Indoor rock climbing with and without affordances caused a significant increase in the BBS score (P<0.001) and a decrease in the FES-I score (P<0.001) in the post-test phase compared to the pre-test phase. Also, the BBS score of the group with affordances was significantly higher than that of the group without affordances (P=0.012), while the FES-I score in the group with affordances was lower than in the group without affordances (P=0.033). Also, the BBS and FES-I scores in the control group were lower and higher than in the experimental groups, respectively (P<0.001).

Conclusion:

Indoor rock climbing, with and without environmental affordances, can significantly increase balance and reduce the fear of falling in older men. These two techniques can be used to improve the balance and individual independence of older men.

The present study aimed to investigate the effect of training interventions using the Virtual Reality (VR) approach on the proprioceptive function of elbow joints in children with hemiplegia.

Twenty boys with cerebral palsy, aged 7 to 12 years, were selected based on available sampling by referring to special schools in Tehran and were randomly assigned into two experimental and control groups. Kinect Xbox 360 device (Microsoft, New York, USA) was used as a therapeutic tool for VR interventions. A gyroscope device was used to measure the elbow’s joint position sense. The experimental group participated in the VR program, but the control group continued their traditional therapy program. Paired sample t-test and independent sample t-test were used at the P<0.05 level of significance using SPSS version 18 software.

In pre-test phase, no significant difference was found in the joint position sense (t=0.07, df=18, p=0.944). In post-test phase, VR training led to better scores for the experimental group (t=2.3, df = 18, p=0.03). Based on the results of the paired sample t-test, VR training resulted in significant improvement in the joint position sense of experimental group (t=4.061, df = 9, p=0.003).

VR can be used as a suitable therapy method to improve the proprioceptive sense in hemiplegic cerebral palsy children. This type of therapy resulted in a significant improvement in the joint position sense of hemiplegic cerebral palsy children, as it lets them explore new experiences that would be difficult or dangerous for them under normal situation.

The purpose of this study was the effect of a course of aerobic exercises with different volumes on BDNF of autistic children. In this semi-experimental study, 36 children from 7 to 10 years old with autism disorder in Tehran were selected as available to participate in the present study, and they were randomly assigned to three groups: aerobic exercise with high volume, aerobic exercise with low volume and control. they got. The study included pre-test, intervention and post-test stages. 24 hours before and after the start of the exercises, in the pre-test and post-test stages, fasting blood was taken from the participants. The intervention phase was carried out for fifteen weeks and 5 sessions each week, where the respective groups did their respective exercises and the control group did their usual daily activities. Data were analyzed using dependent t-test and univariate analysis of covariance. The results showed that high-volume aerobic exercises have a significant effect on the increase of BDNF in children with autism; While aerobic exercise with low volume has no significant effect on BDNF in autistic children. In general, the results of the present study emphasize the importance of the amount of aerobic exercise on the BDNF of autistic children.

Children with developmental coordination disorder (DCD) display slowness, inaccuracy, and insufficient coordination in the performance of motor skills. Compared to children with normal development, they generally have poorer performance in tasks that require visual-motor integration. We evaluated the effect of tDCS stimulation on visual-motor integration in children with DCD. In this quasi-experimental study, featuring a pre-test-post-test design, 40 students with DCD aged 7-10 years were selected according to the inclusion criteria and randomly assigned into two groups: tDCS stimulation and artificial stimulation. In the pre-test, participants took a visual-motor integration test. The intervention phase was administered for 5 consecutive days. Each day, the subjects underwent either electrical stimulation in the motor cortex (anode at C3 and cathode at Fp2) or artificial stimulation. The post-test was administered in the last session. Short-term and long-term follow-ups were performed 1 day and 42 days after the post-test, respectively. Repeated measures ANOVA was used to analyze the data. The results showed that electrical stimulation of the motor cortex significantly improves the visual-motor integration of children with DCD. The follow-up results supported the persistence of motor-visual integration in these children. In general, the results emphasized the effectiveness of tDCS exercises on motor-visual integration in children with DCD.

This research aimed to examine the gesture production ability of motor praxis among children with developmental coordination disorder (DCD) and children on the verge of developing DCD and compare it to typical children of the same age and younger.

For this reason, 91 boys (6-12 years old) were selected as sample size and divided into five groups (20 children with typical development, 14 children with DCD, 17 children on the verge of developing DCD, 20 typically-developed children aged 8-9 years, and 20 typically-developed children aged 6-7 years). To find the children with DCD, we employed the developmental coordination disorder questionnaire 7th edition (DCDQ-7) and the Bruininks–Oseretsky test of motor Proficiency. The Dewey gesture production test was performed to investigate motor praxis. Data analysis was performed using variance analysis and an independent t test.

Comparing the subjects’ performance in different conditions showed that their performance in transitive motor praxis was better than intransitive one (P<0.05). Also, the comparison of verbal command and imitation position showed that between the two DCD groups, the performance in the imitation movements was significantly better (P<0.05). While in the same age control group, no significant difference was seen between motor praxis in two conditions (P>0.05). The between-group comparisons showed that the performance of two DCD groups was disrupted compared to that of the control group at the same age. The performance of the DCD group compared to lower-age children with typical development (8-9 years old) was not different at the verbal command condition. In the imitation position condition, the DCD group performed significantly better than the lower-age children groups (P<0.05).

These results show that DCD subjects have developmental delays in performing motor praxis under verbal command.

Sports injuries are often associated with emotional and psychological challenges. Psychologists and team physicians should examine emotional reactions in addition to assessing physical factors. This research aimed to investigate the effectiveness of cognitive-behavioral group therapy on anxiety, depression, and anger caused by the psychological trauma of injury in injured athletes.

The statistical sample of the research was 32 professional athletes injured due to psychological trauma who were selected conveniently, purposively, and with the approval of the experts from the Sports Medicine Federation. The athletes were randomly assigned into two groups of 16 people consisting of a treatment group and a control group. After applying the treatment, a post-test and a two-month follow-up test were conducted. The measurement tools in this research were Spielberger's State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory–2 (STAXI-2), Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), and Beck Depression Inventory - Second Edition (BDI-II). The data were analyzed using the repeated measures analysis of variance statistical method (P<0.05).

The results showed that the difference between the experimental and control groups in reducing behavioral problems in the post-test and follow-up phase was significant. The follow-up results after two months also showed that there was a difference between the experimental and control groups in the amount of psychological reactions and the effectiveness of the treatment remained after 2 months.

The results indicated that cognitive-behavioral therapy focused on psychological trauma reduces the psychological problems of athletes such as anxiety and depression, but does not affect anger control.

Attention deficit and hyperactivity are the two early symptoms in children with Attention–Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Mindfulness–based interventions are among the strategies used in various studies in recent years to treat this disorder. Despite promising evidence of their efficacy, no consistent results have been obtained regarding the possible treatment outcome. A recent meta–analysis on the effectiveness of mindfulness–based therapies has shown a moderate reduction in ADHD symptoms. Recent studies highlight the relevance of noninvasive brain stimulation for modulating cortical excitability. On the other hand, transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a brain stimulation technique by which a weak direct current applied on the scalp modulates cortical excitability by shifting resting neuronal membrane potential. This study aims to compare the effectiveness of mindfulness interventions and transcranial direct electrical stimulation on symptoms of children with ADHD.

This quasi–experimental study employs a pretest–posttest with a 1.5–year follow–up design. It was conducted among children aged 7 to 10 years with ADHD referred to the Children's Psychiatry Clinic in Kermanshah City, Iran. A total of 45 boys and girls were selected to participate in the present study and were randomly assigned to three groups: tDSC stimulation, mindfulness training, and sham stimulation. In the pretest phase, parents completed the standard questionnaire on attention–deficit hyperactivity disorder. The intervention phase was carried out in 15 sessions where the training groups dealt with the desired interventions. Immediately after the 15th stimulation session, the posttest stage and follow–up were conducted in 1 and 6 months. The data was analyzed using the analysis of variance test with repeated measurements (composite analysis of variance) and post hoc Bonferroni test in SPSS version 24 software at a significance level of 0.05.

Analysis of variance with repeated measurement (3 groups x 4 measurement steps) was used to analyze attention deficit and hyperactivity symptoms. Results showed that the main effect of time and group were significant for attention deficit and hyperactivity (p≤0.001). The post hoc Bonferroni test results showed that in both intervention groups, the scores of attention deficit and hyperactivity in the posttest and follow–up stages significantly decreased compared to the pretest (p≤0.001). This decrease was significantly higher in the transcranial brain direct electrical stimulation group than in the mindfulness program group (p≤0.001).

According to the research findings, direct transcranial electrical stimulation of the brain in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) region of the brain was superior to the mindfulness program in improving and perpetuating the symptoms of attention deficit. DLPFC hypoactivity is hypothesized to underlie attention deficits, impaired inhibitory control, and executive dysfunction in ADHD. Therefore, the pathophysiological rationale for therapeutic tDCS is to increase DLPFC activation by anodal stimulation.

The trade-off between speed and accuracy in process-oriented tests of fundamental motor skills development has always been a challenge in motor development screening plans. Thus, this study was designed to evaluate the feasibility of using wearable inertial sensors (IMUs) based on artificial intelligence algorithms to assess kicking skill. Thirteen children aged 4 to 10 years (age = 8±1.37) (boys = 58%) participated in this study. The subjects were asked to do at least ten repetitions of the kicking skill according to the TGMD-3. Trials were captured with video recording and three wearable inertial sensors installed on the ankles and lower back. K-Nearest Neighbor artificial intelligence algorithms automatically classified the linear acceleration and angular velocity signals. The intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) was calculated between expert scores and the artificial intelligence algorithm. All tests were done at a 95% confidence interval. The classification accuracy of the KNN algorithm (k=7) for kicking was 95%, ICC =0.90 (CI=0.86-0.95). The scoring time was reduced from 5 minutes per trial (in an expert-oriented way) to less than 30 seconds (using artificial intelligence). As a result, this method was a reliable and practical way to assess the fundamental motor skills. Also, by maintaining relative accuracy, it was possible to reduce test time for research, clinical, sports, and educational purposes.

The present study was conducted with the aim of determining the effect of mindfulness intervention on perceived stress and salivary immunoglobulin A (sIgA) levels of elite wrestlers during the competition period.

20 male elite freestyle wrestlers (age: 22.36±2.38) participated in this study and were randomly assigned to experimental (mindfulness-based intervention) and control groups. Two official competitions were used as pre-test and post-test. Perceived stress was measured by the short version of Perceived stress scale. Awakening and competitive levels of salivary immunoglobulin A were evaluated using the ELISA method. The experimental group participated in 8-week mindfulness intervention (two sessions per week). Data were analyzed using repeated measures ANOVA and independent t-test.

The results showed that after the 8 weeks of intervention, perceived stress was reduced in the experimental group. Hoewer, the awakening and competitive levels of immunoglobulin A did not show a significant difference compared to the control group from pre-test to post-test.

In general, it can be concluded that mindfulness intervention can be a strategy to reduce the perceived stress in elite wrestlers during the competition period. Future studies with larger samples with other disciplines can better demonstrate the comprehensiveness of the results.

In recent studies, balance and postural instability have been reported as a common motor disorder in Parkinson's patients, which leads to frequent falls, decreased quality of life, and mortality in these patients. On the other hand, evidence has shown that training is effective in treating motor and cognitive symptoms of neurodegenerative patients.

For this purpose, 24 male Wistar rats were randomly divided into three groups of eight rats including Healthy Control, Parkinson’s Control, and Parkinson’s Training. The animals in the training group were placed on a treadmill for four weeks. At the end of the course, motor disorders (balance and motor behavior) were evaluated using Rotarod and Open-Field tests, and biochemical factors were assessed by ELISA method. Data analysis was done using one-way ANOVA and Tukey's post hoc test at a significant level of P<0.05, via SPSS version 19 software.

The results showed that although the Parkinson's group without training was significantly lower in terms of motor performance than the other groups (P<0.05), four weeks of moderate-intensity aerobic training increased the balance (P<0.05), and improved the motor disorders in Parkinson's rats (P<0.05). Also, training significantly increased the amount of serotonin (P<0.05), and tyrosine hydroxylase (P<0.05).

In general, the findings of this study showed that moderate-intensity aerobic training can reduce the biochemical and motor disorders induced by 6-hydroxydopamine injections in rats’ models of Parkinson's disease.

Recently, the matter of the influence of mental skills on sports skills performance has become very important. The current research aimed to evaluate and compare the mental preparation of the male fencers of the Iranian national team and the elite male fencers of the world.

The current research method was experimental. The statistical population of this research included the fencers of the national teams of Iran, Hungary, America, Russia, France, and Ukraine. The research samples were 58 fencers from selected countries. To measure the mental skills of fencers, the original version of the Ottawa Mental Skills Assessment Tool (OMSAT-3) questionnaire was used. To compare the mental skills of athletes from different countries, the Multivariate Analysis of Variance (MANOVA) and Bonferroni's post hoc test were used.

The results showed that all elite male fencers achieved the highest scores in foundation mental skills including self-confidence, goal setting, and commitment, and the lowest scores were related to refocusing, focusing, and stress control skills. Also, the highest and the lowest scores of mental skills in this research were related to self-confidence and refocusing skills, respectively. Russian fencers scored the highest in all mental skills and Iranian fencers scored the lowest in the stress control skill.

Based on the results of the research, fencers have less proficiency in two sub-skills of cognitive psychological and psychosomatic skills compared with the foundation mental skills. The fencers had lower strength in terms of the mental skill of focusing, refocusing, and stress control. Iranian and non-Iranian fencers were weaker in mental skills of stress control and refocusing.

The purpose of this study was to develop strategies for the Iranian Fencing Federation based on the AHP-SCORE approach. The present research is purpose-based, applied; Based on strategy, it is a combination (qualitative-quantitative) and based on implementation path, it is based on strategic studies. Using library studies, review of upstream documents and opinions of the Strategic Council of the Fencing Federation, key areas of performance for the Fencing Federation were identified. Using library methods and the views of the Strategic Council, the internal and external environment of the federation was analyzed separately for key areas. Then, for each of the key areas of performance, the quality expectations or goals of the federation in each area were identified and prioritized. Based on the obtained environmental analysis, the strategies were identified and all of them were prioritized using the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) method.

The trade-off between speed and accuracy in scoring process-oriented tests for fundamental movement skills (FMS) has always been challenging for a screening project. The aim of this study was the feasibility of using wearable inertial measurement units (IMU) and artificial intelligence algorithms to automatically assessment of FMS. 123 overhand throwings were performed by children aged 4 to 10 years (age = 7±1.84) (53% = boys). Three IMU (Shokofa Tavan Vira) sent signals of angular velocity, linear acceleration of the preferred hand, non-predominant ankle, and lumbar region of the children. Each performance was scored according to the criteria of the third edition test of The Gross Motor Development (TGMD-3) by reviewing the video of the performed skills. The "k nearest neighbor" algorithm was used for automatic data classification. The minimum difference between test signals and training signals was calculated and classified. Two issues were assessed: false acceptance, in which an “incorrect” performance was classified as “correct”; and false rejection where a “correct” performance was classified as “incorrect”. The classification accuracy of the K-nearest neighbor (KNN) algorithm was 85%. The automatic scoring algorithm also correctly classified 93%, 78%, 93%, and 76% in criteria 1 to 4, respectively. Low-back IMU data analysis shows the model's accuracy of 75%. Further, the total scoring time was reduced from 5 minutes to less than 30 seconds. The use of artificial intelligence in the signal processing of only three IMU was a reliable and practical method for the assessment of FMS. This approach means the monitoring and evaluation of children's movement skills can be objective. In addition, while maintaining relative accuracy, the time involved in the process-oriented analysis of FMS for research, clinical, sports, and educational purposes was reduced entirely.

Investigating the factors affecting motor development is very important in identifying the causes of motor developmental delay for parents and occupational therapists in the development of pediatric treatment. This study aims to model dynamic factors affecting fine motor development milestones of 9-12 months old infants.

in this study 283 children were screened by age and stage scale which included providing the home environment for motor development-infant scale, parental postpartum attachment scale, Beak habitual physical activity questionnaire, and general health questioner. Factors affecting motor development were classified into three parts: individual, maternal and environmental factors.

Structural equation model showed that according to the fitting indexes reported, the conceptual model of this research does not have an acceptable fitting level. Regression results showed that none of the factors had a significant contribution to the prediction of fine movements in the maternal factors group. Linear regression in the individual factors group showed that age with an effective coefficient of -0.15 and motivation with an effective coefficient of 0.14 had a significant contribution to the prediction of fine movements. And in the environmental factor group, the number of siblings with an effective coefficient of -0.17 and parents' encouragement with an effective coefficient of 0.15 had a significant contribution to the prediction of fine movements.

The present results showed that the present predictive variables had poor predictive power, so more research is needed to identify stronger predictors of fine motor development.

This research aimed to investigate the effect of physical training and selective and compulsory observational pattern on the intrinsic motivation and cognitive learning of basketball jump shot skill with the approach of basic psychological demands.

Eighty male students (18-22 years old) were selected voluntarily and based on their pre-test scores, were randomly divided into four Self-Control, Paired, Experimenter-Control, and Control groups (20 people in each group). To examine the motivation level, the Intrinsic Motivation Inventory (IMI), and to examine the cognitive learning level, Recall Questionnaire (adapted from Knudson, 1993) was used. An educational video of the expert model that showed the movement components was presented to the participants. A retention test was conducted 24 hours later. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to examine the data (p≤0.05).

The results showed that in the acquisition phase, the level of intrinsic motivation of the participants to learn the basketball jump shot skill in the Self-Control observation condition was significantly higher than the participants in the Paired and Control conditions. Also, in the retention phase, the level of intrinsic motivation in the Self-Control observation condition was significantly higher than in other experimental conditions. In addition, in the acquisition and retention phases of cognitive learning (recall success), the participants in the Self-Control observation condition scored significantly higher than the participants in the Paired and Control conditions.

In general, the results of this study show that motivation affects learning. Also, task demonstration as a whole-part-whole is an effective and efficient method in the cognitive phase.

Adolescents with autism spectrum disorder exhibit a variety of aggressive behaviors such as physical and verbal aggression. Despite the growing prevalence of this disorder, research on horse therapy is limited for these individuals. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of eight weeks of horse therapy on the types of aggression in ASD adolescents using The Children's Scale of Hostility and Aggression – Reactive/ Proactive (C- SHARP). For this purpose, 24 adolescents with autism spectrum disorder participated in the present study using the available sampling method. Then, based on the variables of age, gender and the degree of disorder in autism, they were matched in an experimental group (n = 12) and a control group (n = 12). Each participant in the experimental group was individually treated by a trainer for eight weeks (five days in week). Changes in aggression were assessed through The Children's Scale of Hostility and Aggression – Reactive/ Proactive (C- SHARP). The results showed that the horse therapy training program had a significant effect on improving and reducing the aggressive behaviors of the experimental group compared to the control group (p <0.05). Thus, with appropriate intervention, this group of people have the opportunity to express their emotions, emotions through appropriate treatment, in a social way, so they show less aggression. As a result, horse therapy interventions can be used as an effective way to control the aggressive behavior of adolescents with ASD.

The aim of this study was survey effect of perceptual motor training on motor praxis of children with developmental coordination disorder (DCD).

For this aim, 34 children (10 – 12 years old) selected as sample size and divided into two control and experimental group (20 people were in the control group and 14 people were in the experimental group) and participated in the current tests study. For recognize of DCD problem, Developmental Coordination Disorder Questionnaire- Edition 7 (DCDQ-7) and Bruininks– Oseretsky Test of motor Proficiency was performed. For investigating of motor praxis, the Dewey gesture production test, Praxis imagery questionnaire and knowledge of object use test was performed. The participants of experimental group participates in perceptual motor training for 8 weeks.

the results of MANCOVA test show that the performance of experimental group in relation to control group was improved significantly at gesture production test after perceptual motor training (P<0/05). On the other hands, in other tests (Praxis imagery test and knowledge of object use test) was no significant difference between pre and posttest in participants of experimental group (P> 0/05).

These results of current study show that perceptual motor training have significant effect on gesture production and performance of motor praxis, but this training skills haven’t effect on motor planning and programing of praxis actions in DCD children.

The purpose of this study was to examine whether a cognitive training intervention leads to significant improvements on measures of balance and gait in schizophrenia inpatient with depression disorder. This non-randomized clinical trial with a control group examined the effect of cognitive training over 12 weeks on balance and gait in 20 man schizophrenia inpatients with depression disorder. Patients were homogeneously(based on age, score of MMSE, scor of depression) assigned to groups of intervention and control . Participations enrolled in intervention group attended in cognitive rehabilitation of memory and attention(ARAM( sessions for 45–60 minutes three times weekly for 12 weeks (36 total sessions). Data of Pre-test and post-test resulting from the test of standing on dominant leg with opened and closed eyes ,10-meter gait speed, 10-meter gait speed under gait-visuospatial dual-task condition and 10-meter gait speed under gait-motor dual-task condition were analyzed by using pair- samples t- test and comparing the post-test of the two groups analyzed by using independent t-test. Results showed the cognitive training intervention group had significant increase in static balance with opened and closed eyes and gait speed under single and dual-task condition from pre-test to post-test (p≤0.05). the cognitive training intervention group had significant improve in static balance with opened and closed eyes, gait speed under single and dual-task condition rather than the control group.

Defects such as spasm, concurrent muscle activity, muscle weakness, and range of motion affect the fine and fine motor function of children with cerebral palsy and lead to movement limitations. Despite the potential of using virtual reality in the rehabilitation of children with cerebral palsy, few studies have been conducted in this area.The purpose of the present study was to examine the effects of movement practices in virtual reality environment on range of motion in cerebral palsy children. Twenty children 7-12 years old with cerebral palsy were selected by a convenience sampling method. Participants were homogeneously placed in experimental and control groups based on the average scores. The experimental group performed bowling practice in virtual environment for 3 weeks, but the control group continued their traditional therapy program. Xbox device and universal goniometer were used as instruments. Multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) and Analyze of Covariance (ANCOVA) were used at p < 0.05 level. Based on MACNOVA test results, there was a significant difference between experimental and control groups at least in one dependent variable (shoulder, elbow, & wrist range of motion) (F = 96/43, p= 0/001). Based on the results of ANCOVA test, experimental group achieved higher averages in shoulder, elbow and wrist range of motion than control group. Virtual reality technology can be used as a treatment approach for improving upper extremity range of motion in children with hemiplegic cerebral Palsy.

Children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, in addition to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and alertness problems, show the the lowest level of social activity and they have more trouble finding and keeping friends.

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of motor and computer games on the attention and social communications of male students with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder aged 10-12 years.

The statistical population of the present study was all elementary male students aged 10-12 years with Attention Deficit / Hyperactivity Disorder in District 4 of Tehran in 2021 and 36 of them were purposefully and accessibly selected. Motor and computer games were performed in 8 weeks and in each session in 3 sessions of 60 minutes. The Connors questionnaire of the parents' version and the Zebov questionnaire were filled out by the parents in the pre-test and post-test. Repeated measure analysis and paired t-test were used to analyze the data using SPSS software version 23.

Motor and computer games had a significant positive effect on attention and social communication; also, motor and computer games have a significant positive effect on the perceptual-motor skills of male inactive students (P≤0.05), but there was no significant difference between the effects of these two interventions on any of the research variables (P≥0.05).

Motor and computer games improve attention and social communications in children with attention deficit / hyperactivity disorder; therefore, it is recommended that these games be used to help children with attention deficit / hyperactivity disorder.