afkham daneshfar

Finding the best teaching methods to help children development and improvement is essential. Therefore, the purpose of this qualitative study was to discover the factors related to education from the perspective of children, teachers and sport sciences professors. The statistical population of this study was all elementary school children in Asadabad, Hamadan, physical education teachers with at least 20 years of experience, and physical education professors with at least a university degree in Iran. To conduct this study, based on theoretical saturation and a purposeful method, 10 children, 10 teachers, and 8 professors were interviewed. In this regard, the results of the offline semi-structured interview of this study showed that children consider appropriate education in the game, lack of teacher intervention, lack of verbal explanation, and correct judgment. According to teachers, games, use of equipment and feedback should be used in proper education, and professors also considered games, environment manipulation and verbal explanation to be effective for proper education. As a general conclusion, the results of this study emphasize the manipulation of constraints and games that are related to the principles of ecological dynamics methods. However, the important result of this study is the gap between the opinion of children and teachers/professors about education; Because teachers/professors still emphasize verbal feedback and explanation; But children do not consider these things appropriate in education.

 One of the most common sports injuries is the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury. So far, research has supported the positive effect of training instructions based on an external focus of attention, but no study has been conducted on the effect of a holistic focus of attention in ACL injury prevention. This study aims to compare the effects of holistic and external focus of attention on single-leg jump length and knee flexion range of motion (ROM) of female athletes at risk of ACL injury.

This is a quasi-experimental study. Thirteen female athletes prone to ACL injury (diagnosed the by Tuck jump test) with a mean age of 23.77±4.42 years were selected purposefully. They performed three jumps under each instruction condition (control, external focus, and holistic focus) and nine jumps in total. The single-leg hop test was used to assess the jumping performance of the participants. The effect of the order of conditions was controlled by counterbalancing. Thus, after three jumps in the control condition, group 1 first performed three jumps under the holistic-focus condition and then three jumps under the external-focus condition, while group 2 performed the jumps in the reversed order. Data analysis was performed using repeated measures ANOVA, followed by pairwise comparisons using the Bonferroni test. P<0.05 was considered statistically significant.

 According to the results of ANOVA, the effect of the focus of attention on the jump distance and knee flexion ROM was significant (P=0.001, P<0.0001, respectively). The pairwise comparisons showed that the jump distance and knee flexion ROM under the external-focus condition were significantly higher than under the control condition (P=0.002), but there was no significant difference between the external- and holistic-focus conditions in the jump distance (P=0.622) and knee flexion ROM (P=0.965). The difference in the jump distance between holistic-focus and control conditions was not significant (P=0.078), but the knee flexion ROM was significantly higher under the holistic-focus condition than under the control attention (P=0.001).

 It seems that the instructions using the external or holistic focus of attention can increase knee flexion ROM, and the external-focus instructions can increase the single-leg jump performance in female athletes prone to ACL injuries.

Objectives:

 Considering the negative effects of aging on bimanual motor skills, attention has been drawn to various non-invasive brain stimulation methods for the improvement of these skills. This study aimed to investigate the effects of online transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) over the right posterior parietal cortex (P4) and supplementary motor area (SMA) on bimanual coordination in elderly women. 

Methods :

This is a quasi-experimental study. The study population includes all healthy elderly women aged 60-75 years in Tehran, Iran, of whom 31 were selected using a convenience sampling method and were subjected to tACS over P4, tACS over SMA, and sham tACS along with performing the Purdue pegboard task (4 trials) in three sessions with a one-week interval.  Data were analyzed byby 3(condition)*4(trials) ANOVA with repeated measures.

Results:

 The results of ANOVA showed that only the main effect of trial was statistically significant (P<0.001); The main effect of condition and the interaction effect of condition and trial were not significant (P>0.05). Therefore, although bimanual coordination increased significantly in all three conditions in different trials, there was no significant difference in bimanual coordination among different conditions.

Conclusion :

The online tACS over P4 or SMA has no short-term effect on the bimanual coordination of elderly women. Further studies are recommended to assess the long-term effects of tACS in other areas of the cerebral cortex using different protocols.

Transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) is a non-invasive method that offers a potential solution to reduce the effects of aging on brain function.

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of offline tACS over the supplementary motor area on bimanual coordination in elderly people.

Thirty-one women aged of 60-75 years were selected as convenience. They were assigned to 2 conditions: tACS and Sham, in random order, with one-week interval between conditions. After pre-test, each participant completed four trials of 5 min using Purdue pegboard task. Concurrently, participants received beta tACS with a current intensity of 1 mA. Immediate retention test, transfer test, and delayed retention tests after 48 hours and 1 week were conducted. A 2(condition) x 4(test) ANOVA with repeated measures was performed on gain scores.

The main effects of condition and test were significant (P<0.0001). The Bonferroni tests revealed the significant improvement of bimanual coordination in the tACS condition compared to the sham condition in all retention and transfer tests (P<0.05).

The findings highlights the potential use of offline beta tACS over the SMA as a modulatory factor for enhancing bimanual coordination in the elderly women.

Balance is a vital element in children with cerebral palsy and it is important to choose effective exercise strategies to achieve it. In order to investigate the balance of children with cerebral palsy, physical activity and virtual reality intervention were used. The pre-test post-test design with control group and follow-up test on 15 children with spastic cerebral palsy (hemiplegia) (6-12 years) from Golha Special School in Shiraz was used. Samples were randomly divided into two experimental groups: physical activity (n = 5) with aerobic exercise program, balance skills, ball skills and virtual reality using Xbox kinetic system program (n = 5) and control group with no intervention exercises (n = 5). Experimental interventions were performed in experimental groups for 8 weeks, 3 sessions per week. In order to assess balance, Pediatric Balance Scale of children was used in pre-test (two weeks before and one day before intervention), post-test (one day after intervention) and post-test (4 weeks after the post-test). One-way ANCOVA and Bonferroni post hoc tests were used for statistical analysis and the significance level was considered 0.05 at 0.05. There was a statistically significant improvement in the balance of children in the experimental groups compared to the control and virtual reality superiority to the physical activity group. As a result, virtual reality, as a superior exercise intervention, is effective in improving the balance of children with cerebral palsy.

The development of motor skills and basic skills in childhood and adolescence and subsequently adolescence and adulthood affect the growth and development of all aspects of development. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of dynamic yard on motor development of children aged 8 to 12 years.

The present study was quasi-experimental with pretest and posttest design with control group. 30 healthy 8 to 11 year old male students who were studying in Kermanshah in the academic year of 1998-99 were selected voluntarily and randomly divided into two groups of control and experimental. First, pre-tests were performed for both groups. The third edition of Ulrich (2016) was used to assess motor skills. The experimental group participated in the standard training program for 8 weeks and 5 days per week, and the control group performed only daily activities. At the end of the intervention, post-test was performed for both groups. Data were analyzed using analysis of covariance at the error level of 0.05 with SPSS-19 software.

The results of covariance analysis showed a significant difference between the two groups in the post-test of large motor skills and the experimental group performed better than the control group in all variables.

It seems that in healthy 8 to 12 year old boys, using the dynamic yard program can significantly improve their motor development.

The development of motor skills and basic skills in childhood and adolescence and subsequently adolescence and adulthood affect the growth and development of all aspects of development. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of dynamic yard on motor development of children aged 8 to 12 years. The present study was quasi-experimental with pretest and posttest design with control group. 30 healthy 8 to 11 year old male students who were studying in Kermanshah in the academic year of 1998-99 were selected voluntarily and randomly divided into two groups of control and experimental. First, pre-tests were performed for both groups. The third edition of Ulrich (2016) was used to assess motor skills. The experimental group participated in the standard training program for 8 weeks and 5 days per week, and the control group performed only daily activities. At the end of the intervention, post-test was performed for both groups. Data were analyzed using analysis of covariance at the error level of 0.05 with SPSS-19 software. The results of covariance analysis showed a significant difference between the two groups in the post-test of large motor skills and the experimental group performed better than the control group in all variables. It seems that in healthy 8 to 12 year old boys, using the dynamic yard program can significantly improve their motor development.

Research in developmental psychology shows that the experience of exercise and play in childhood can have a significant and lasting impact on social development and psychological health. Therfore, the present study was conducted To evaluate the effectiveness of dynamic playground games on social development and perceived physical competence in boys aged 8 to 12 years.

The research was a quasi-experimental study with a pretest-posttest design. The statistical population of the present study consisted of all 8- to 12-year-old male students in Kermanshah in the academic year 2019-2020, from which 30 students were selected by convenience sampling and randomly divided into two groups of 15 experimental and Witnesses were present. The experimental group participated in dynamic yard games for 8 weeks. In the end, post-test was taken from both groups. Data were collected using the Vineland Social Development Scale (1953) and the Marsh somatic self-descriptive questionnaire (1998) and analyzed using analysis of covariance at the significant level of p <0.05.

Findings showed that playground games have a positive and significant effect on social development and perceived physical competence of children (P<0.001).

It seems that playground games can positively increase social development and perceived physical competence in children. Therefore, these games can be used to improve social status and perceived physical competence, which play an effective role in children's mental health.

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of positive and negative normative feedback on goal orientation (task orientation and ego orientation) and darts throwing learning in young girls.

Thirty-five young girls with a mean age of 22.7 (±1.5) were divided into 3 groups of positive, negative, and control normative. After 9 trials as a pretest, participants practiced 60 darts throwing trails in 2 sessions (30 throws per session, 10 sets of 3 trails) and after 24 hours, retention and transfer tests were taken and participants completed a goal orientation questionnaire in the post-test again.

The results of the mixed analysis of variance test 3 (group) * 4 (test) showed that the normative feedback had no significant effect on reducing the two-dimensional variable error (VE) of dart throwing (P <0.05) and no difference was observed between the groups in the test stages. However, all groups showed a reduction in radial error (RE) during the learning. Also, the participants' task orientation did not change during the experimental period, but ego orientation increased significantly from pretest to posttest (P <0.05).

These results show that normative feedback (positive or negative) can negatively affect people's ego orientation and increase the importance of superiority and comparison of their performance over others in the individual.

One of the main concerns of motor learning professionals is how to plan skills training sessions to optimize the amount of learning. The purpose of the present study was to determine whether errorless training is effective in learning the Aiming skill in adolescents.

The present study was semi-experimental with four experimental groups. 40 adolescents with an average age of 12 years (range from 11 to 13 years old) were randomly assigned to four training groups. The task was to throw basketball balls into concentric goals. The subjects performed 200 exercise attempts at the acquisition stage in five exercise blocks. Single task and dual task tests were implemented immediately, 24-hour latency and one week's delay.

The results of the study showed that the groups with the least error and the least involvement in work memory during the exercise were better in acquisition stage, the single task test and in dual task test compared to other groups.

The findings of this study are consistent with the Adam's closed loop theory, the reinvestment theory, and somewhat consistent with the estimates of the challenge point framework regarding the error in the acquisition stage, but these findings are somewhat contradictory with the estimates of the schema theory.

The effect of pressure condition on sport performance has always been one of the major issues of research and Anxiety’s influence on performance and its underlining mechanisms continues to be one of the main research interests for sport psychologists. The purpose of current study was to examine the effect of state-competitive anxiety on anticipation accuracy and gaze indicators of football goalkeeper with two levels of skill. Two groups of 10 Expert and novice goalkeepers were required to anticipate penalty kicks presented on temporally occluded video in two counterbalanced experimental conditions. During anticipation, gaze behaviors (duration and number of fixations) were recorded using Pupil binocular mobile eye tracker. Gaze information were extracted using add-ons of pupil player software and then anticipation accuracy and gaze data analyzed using Mixed ANOVA and paired t test. Increased anxiety led to decreased processing efficiency (increased number of fixations and decreased duration of fixations) for both skill level groups whereas Anxiety influenced performance efficiency (decreased the accuracy of anticipation) just in novice group, and had no effects on performance in expert goalkeepers. Generally, effects of anxiety in expert group is a support for ACT prediction and showed that anxiety decreased processing efficiency and no effects on performance efficiency. In novice group, Further future research needs to have clear insight

Previous studies have shown that martial arts can be used to reduce behavioral and communication problems in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD); however, few studies have been conducted about its effect on the sleep habits in in these children. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the effect of practicing kata techniques on sleep habits of boys with ASD.

This study was performed by a random assignment pre-test-post-test design. For this purpose, 20 children with ASD were selected from children aged between 8 and 14 years in the charity of the Guilan Autism Association in 2018 and were randomly divided into the experimental or control group. Parents of children completed Childrenchr('39')s Sleep Habits Questionnaire (Owens, 2000) before and after the 10-week intervention. Shapiro-Wilk test was used to determine the normality of the data, and analysis of covariance was used to compare the means of the groups before and after the intervention.

Ten weeks of Kata techniques training had a significant effect on total score of sleep habits questionnaire and subscales of bedtime resistance (F=7.28, p<0.02), sleep duration (F=26.08, p<0.002), sleep anxiety (F=10.12, p<0.01), nighttime awakening (F=17.58, p<0.002), parasomnia (F=8.07, p<0.01) and daytime sleepiness (F=15.74, p<0.003) in children with ASD.

Based on the findings of the present study, it can be concluded that martial arts can reduce inappropriate sleeping habits in children with ASD by causing hormonal, biological and biochemical changes in the body and can be added as a valuable intervention to childrenchr('39')s daily programs to improve sleep patterns in children with ASD.

Autism spectrum disorder is a neurodevelopmental disorder that manifests in early childhood. Previous studies have shown that physical activity can be used to improve the behavioral and physical problems of children with autism spectrum disorder, but few studies have been done on the effect of martial arts training on improving balance in autism spectrum disorders. Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate the effect of karate techniques exercises on balance and stereotypic behaviors in children with autism spectrum disorder. The research method was quasi-experimental with pre-test and post-test with control group. For this purpose, 20 autistic children with mean age of 10.90 ± 2.91 years were selected and randomly assigned to experimental and control groups. The experimental group practiced kata techniques training for 10 weeks, 2 sessions of 60 minutes per week. Before and after the 10-week intervention, stereotypical behaviors questionnaire and static and dynamic balance test were completed and administered. Shapiro–Wilks test was used to determine the normality of the data, and covariance analysis was used to compare the mean of the two groups before and after the intervention. The results showed that ten weeks of karate technique training had a significant effect on stereotyped behaviors (p <0.001), but it did not significantly improve static and dynamic balance indices in these children. Due to the similarity of stereotypes in autism and no need cognition, kata techniques exercise can be a valuable intervention added to autism spectrum children's programs to reduce stereotyped behaviors.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of treadmill training and computer games on motor skills of educable girls with intellectuall disability.

This study was a randomized clinical trial. Among the aducable children registered in intellectuall disability society of Alborz Province, Iran, 24 educable girls were selected from Kahrizak Rehabilitation Center, and randomly assigned into 3 groups of computer games, treadmill exercises, and control. At first, basic motor skills were measured, and then training sessions were conducted for 8 weeks, 3 sessions per week for experimental groups. The untreated control group did not receive any training during this time, and went through the usual routine of the center program. After the training sessions, motor skills were re-measured. Data were analyzed using analysis of covariance method.

The motor skill scores in treadmill group were significantly higher than of the computer game (P = 0.012) and untreated control group (P = 0.001). In other words, treadmill training significantly improved motor skill scores (P < 0.05), while computer game had no significant effect over the untreated control group (P = 0.066).

The results showed the significant effect of treadmill training on motor skills of educable mentally retarded children. Based on the results, it is suggested that treadmill exercises can be offered in the education and treatment centers for the children with intellectuall disability.

Affordance and human motor skills constantly change throughout life under the influence of individual and environmental factors. Some studies have investigated the effects of jump–rope on fitness and motor ability among healthy and disordered children. Braitonic is among the newest sports; its impact was explored on motor ability in healthy and unhealthy children. This sport has been noted for its versatility and low space performance, high range of movements, easy learning, and the appeal of rhythm adjustment. In elementary school, the physical, cognitive, and social development of the child is more rapid than in the later years. Besides, the modifiable ability of children at the elementary level is excellent; thus, it is essential to provide regular motor activities at this point. There exists limited research on the effects of braitonic on children's motor ability. Furthermore, scholars neglected to compare it with the approved jump–rope program in the fourth–grade elementary schoolers. Thus, the present study aimed to compare the effects of braitonic and jump–rope exercises on motor ability among 9– and 10–year–old girls. 

This was a quasi–experimental study with a pretest–posttest and a control group design. The study participants were 60 healthy non–athlete fourth–grade elementary school female students with a mean±SD age of 9.8±0.4 years. Initially, 4 schools were randomly considered as clusters. Then, 60 qualified volunteers were randomly selected from 3 to 5 education areas of Tabriz City, Iran, and divided into 3 groups of 20 subjects (jump–rope, britonic, control). Pretest and posttest stages were performed using the Test of Gross Motor Development–3 (TGMD–3; Ulrich, 2016). The intervention consisted of 8 weeks (three 60–minute weekly sessions) of jump–rope and braitonic training with music and the intensity of 65%–75% of maximum heart rate in the experimental groups. Descriptive statistics were used to calculate central indices (mean & SD), and inferential statistics, including Paired Samples t–test for within–group scores comparisons and one–way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) for intergroup comparisons, as well as Bonferroni posthoc test in SPSS. The significance level of all tests was set at 0.05. 

There was a significant difference between the mean pretest–posttest scores of the jump–rope and braitonic groups in the subtests of mobility and hub skills (p<0.001 and p<0.001, respectively); the mean pretest–posttest scores of gross motor skills were significantly different in the intervention groups (p<0.001). The ANOVA data revealed a significant difference in the mean posttest scores of mobility (p<0.001), hub (p<0.001), and gross motor (p<0.001) skills between the jump–rope and braitonic and control groups. The results of Bonferroni posthoc test indicated no significant difference between the jump–rope and braitonic groups in the subtest scores of mobility, hub, and gross skills (p=0.989, p=0.259, p=0.672, respectively); however, the posttest scores (skills displacement, hub, gross motor) of the jump–rope and control groups were significantly different (p<0.001). Additionally, the posttest scores of mobility, hub, and gross motor skills of the braitonic and control groups were significantly different (p<0.001, p=0.005, p<0.001, respectively). 

Based on the current research findings, providing 8 weeks of braitonic training presented a similar effect as jump–rope exercise on the pattern of gross motor and mobility among 9– and 10–year–old girls. Furthermore, due to the ability to perform without equipment and in a smaller space, it is possible to replace this training in the physical education program for fourth–grade elementary students.

The purpose of the present study was to examine the effect of 12 sessions of rotational exercises on the novice females’ balance with and without visual and proprioceptive senses manipulation. The statistical sample included 27 girl students with an age range of 19-24 years that were selected based on inclusion and exclusion criteria. Subjects were classified into experimental and control groups by random assignment and the experimental group was treated by intervention for 12 sessions. To evaluate postural control, the force plate in the conditions of open and close eyes, with and without balance pad was used. For analyze the data were used Analysis of variance with repeated measures, multivariate covariance and bonferroni post-hoc test in SPSS v23. The ANOVA test results showed that the effect of Rotational exercises was no significant (P>0.05). But, based on the results of Bonferroni post-hoc test, in conditions 2&3, the effects of rotational exercises on COP sway in the X-axis in conditions of manipulation of the visual & proprioception system separately was significant (P<0.05). According to the results of the present research, it seems that rotational exercises can be more effective in balance (X-axis) and this reduces people's reliance on visual system and proprioception.

Cerebral Palsy (CP) is a disorder of movement and posture with extensive variety and classifications. Spastic hemiplegia is the most prevalent CP type. The motor limitations appear in combination with sensory and cognitive alterations that result in great difficulties for children with CP to manipulate objects, communicate, and interact with their environment, subsequently limiting their mobility. Eye–hand coordination is the skill in which visual information from the eyes and motor data from the hands are efficiently applied to work together as an essential component of self–help activities, play, perception, and school work. Therefore, problems with eye-hand coordination make it difficult for children to experience search tasks in their daily lives, such as playing and school activities. Eye–hand coordination is critical in functional performance and should be carefully considered by coaches and occupational therapists. Thus, the current research aimed to investigate the effects of exercise interventions on eye-hand coordination in children with spastic hemiplegic CP.

This was a quasi–experimental study with a pretest-posttest, a control group, and a single–blinded design. We classified three experimental groups of physical activity, virtual reality, physiotherapy, and a control group. Twenty children with spastic hemiplegic CP from Golha Special School in Shiraz City, Iran, in 2019 were selected by convenience sampling method. The inclusion criteria of the study were as follows: girls and boys with spastic hemiplegic CP (6–12–year–olds); specified as level 1–3 on the Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS) (according to relevant occupational therapist & their medical records); no visual or auditory impairment; no previous experience working with Xbox; no use of anticonvulsant drugs; no orthopedic surgery; no lower limb Botox injections for 6 months prior to intervention, or the presence of other disorders, such as autism, asthma, etc. (according to their parents & their medical records). Subjects’ inability to follow the intervention program and instructions, and having more than three absences in the training sessions were the exclusion criteria of the study. Children were randomly divided into 4 groups of physical activity (a set of aerobic exercises, balance skills, coordination exercises, walking distance, ball skills, copying shapes, & painting were performed under the supervision of an occupational therapist & the relevant expert), physiotherapy (joint movement exercises, muscle extensions, muscle strength exercises, torso stability exercises, tracking, & grasping objects held by a physiotherapist, by stretching the arms in different directions in a sitting position), virtual reality (offering Xbox 360 Kinect games, including jumping, weight transfer, stepping from one side to the other, using the arms and legs to prevent bloating, or using arms and legs coordinated movements to cover the cavities created by the blows of the fish in the body of the aquarium), and the control group (exempt from intervention) (n=5/group). In addition, all study participants continued their treatment and physiotherapy programs for two weekly sessions during the research process. The experimental groups received interventions for 8 weeks, 3 sessions per week, and 30 minutes per session. The Visual Motor Integration Test (Beery, 1989) was used to assess eye–hand coordination. Repeated–measures Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) was used to explore the impact of interventions in the different stages of the test. Besides, the Bonferroni post–hoc test was used to determine the sustainability of the effect of interventions, and the level of significance was set at 0.05.

The obtained results indicated a significant difference between the effects of interventions on eye-hand coordination in different groups, including physical activity, physiotherapy, and virtual reality, (p<0.001). To measure the effectiveness of the interventions, according to the pretest-posttest stages, the relevant results indicated a significant effect of the interventions in all three groups of virtual reality (p<0.001), physical activity (p<0.001), and physiotherapy (p=0.008). To measure the duration of interventions according to the posttest and follow–up stages, due to the negative coefficient of difference, the duration of intervention in physical activity (p=0.010) and physiotherapy (p=0.044) was low, and the duration of virtual reality intervention, compared to the other two groups was noteworthy (p=0.108).

According to the present study results, it can be concluded that, compared to other interventions, designing exercise programs via virtual reality environment can play a role in improving the eye–hand coordination of children with CP.

Social comparison feedback and activity of mirror neurons are both associated with stimulating an individualchr('39')s emotions, and as each of them suggests a different type of stimulation of emotion to improve performance.

The research aimed to investigate the effect of comparative-social video feedback on the activity of mirror neurons in the brain.

There were randomly selected 18 non-athlete females from Al-Zahra University and they were randomly classified in positive, negative and real groups. On the first day, there was taught how to pay pat golf and a 6-stroke impact test (pretest); the second day consisted of 60 beats with five minutes break between the attempts and receiving video feedback tailored to the group after each attempt (acquisition session); and on the third day, there were performed six attempts (retention test). Using EEG sensors, there was the recorded activity of brain mirror neurons in three conditions: basic, execution and observation. There was also recorded data of accuracy of kicks.

The results of combined variance analysis did not show the effect of social comparison feedback on learning accuracy; however, in registering brain activity, there was a significant difference between the activity of mirror neurons in execution and observation conditions. There was no significant difference between the three groups in the amount of electrical activity in the brain during execution and observation.

This feedback seems to have little effect on the activity of mirror neurons.

Physical training, especially aerobic exercise combined with mental training by patients with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE), has numerous benefits, including tissue generation and enhanced anti-inflammatory activity. This study aimed at investigating the effect of ten-week aerobic-cognitive combined training on the serum levels of High Sensitivity C-Reactive Protein (HS-CRP), Anti-cardiolipin antibodies, Immunoglobulin G (IgG), Immunoglobulin M (IgM), and mental status of female SLE patients.

Eight female patients with SLE (with the Mean±SD age of 50±47.04 year and the Mean±SD BMI of 29.57±5.83 kg/m2) were randomly assigned to the experimental (n=5) and control (n=3) groups. The experimental group performed Brailletonik exercise, including aerobic (60-80% of Max HR) and cognitive training for ten weeks. The serum levels of HS-CRP, IgG, IgM, and mental status of the patients were evaluated in both groups before and after the training.

According to the results of 2×2 mixed Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA), there was no significant effect of training on the serum levels of HS-CRP, IgG, and IgM (P>0.05), but HS-CRP and IgM level decreased in the experimental group by (42%) and (23.5%), respectively. The result of ANCOVA indicated the significant effect of training on mental status (P=0.005).

Physical combined cognitive training could be more effective in improving the mental status compared to a decrease in serum inflammatory factors of SLE patients.

Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are developmental conditions characterized by deficits in social interaction, motor performance, and obsessive/stereotyped patterns of behavior. Although there is no reliable neurophysiological marker associated with ASD, dysfunction of the parietal-frontal mirror neuron system has been suggested as a disturbance linked to the disorder.

The purpose of this applied and basic study was to investigate the effect of perceptual-motor training on the mirror neuron activity, behavioral disorders, and social development in children with high function autism.

The pretest-posttest randomized-group research design was used for this quasi-experimental research. Therefore,  12 children with high function autism (7-11 years) were selected from a special school and then assigned into two groups (experimental and control). Social development, behavioral disorders, and mirror neurons activity were assessed at baseline (pre-intervention), week 8 ( post-intervention). The experimental group received perceptual motor training three times per week for 8 weeks). Data were analyzed by independent t-test, mixed 2 ˟ 2 ˟ 2 ˟ 3 ANOVA, mix ANOVA 2 ˟ 2 at the p<0.05 significance.

Results showed that perceptual motor training significantly reduced behavioral disorders(p<0.05), and increased social development in the experimental group(p<0.05). furthermore, there was a significant improvement in MNs activity in the experimental group compared with the control group. (p<0.05).

These results can affect the improvement of autistic children and it emphasized the role of motor skills in autistic children school schedule.

Multiple Sclerosis is a chronic disease of the central nervous system that is caused by destruction of myelin of the neuronal cells.

This study aimed at determining the effect of resistance training on joint position sense in patients with multiple sclerosis.

This was a quasi-experimental study with the pretest-posttest design. Of 60 people referring to the National Multiple Sclerosis Association of Iran, 12 women aged 20-55 years were selected based on physical disability scale developed by Kurtzke (1-4) and their fitness for participation in a sports protocol. They were randomly assigned to two groups: resistance training and control. The experimental group performed resistance training for 6 weeks, while the control group did not have any physical activity during this period. A goniometer was used to evaluate the joint position sense.

The results of covariance analysis indicated a significant difference between the mean scores of two experimental and control groups joint position sense at an angle of 40 degrees (P<0.05). Resistance training at the starting knee flexion angle (40 degrees) led to progression of joint position sense, while it had no significant effect on the end angle (60 degrees). The effect of resistance training was also significant on physical disability (P=0.001). Six weeks of resistance training reduced reconstruction error of the 40-degree angle.

People with multiple sclerosis can improve the sensory aspect of movement, their physical ability, thereby the pattern and quality of their daily functional movements by these exercises. It is suggested that these exercises be used along with other rehabilitation programs to rehabilitate these patients.

Body mass index (BMI) is one of the physical features of individuals that is related to physical health. The maintenance of this index at a normal range during childhood play a significant role in avoiding complications, such as diseases associated with underweight or overweight. The purpose of this study was to determine the mean BMI in primary school and also compare the obtained results with those of the global average. This descriptive-analytic and cross-sectional study was conducted on 384 children within the age range of 7-12 years old using a cluster random sampling method from a population of 154853 schoolchildren in Isfahan, Iran. Regarding gender distribution, an equal number of male and female students were enrolled in the current study. To this end, the height and weight were measured using a standard meter and scale to determine body mass index. Moreover, One-way ANOVA was used to compare the means of the present study with those of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDCs). The Excel software was utilized for figures. The means BMI for boys and girls were 17.06 and 17.47, respectively. There was no significant difference between the mean values of the present study with those of global standard (P= 0.764). The comparison of the results of the present study with the standard values of CDCs showed that the health status of girls and boys in the city of Isfahan is similar. Furthermore, the CDCs tables can be used for children within the age range of 7-12 years.

Evaluating motor skills and using an appropriate tool for the diagnosis and evaluation of motor proficiency in preschool-aged children seems critical.

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.

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).

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 intra-class 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.

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.

Successful anticipation is a key factor for success in saving soccer penalty kick for goalkeepers and introducing optimal interventions to enhance this ability can be useful for improving the level of performance. The aim of the present study was to examine the effect of quiet eye training on anticipation of penalty kick by expert goalkeepers and their gaze behaviors during this anticipation. Participants were 20 expert goalkeepers working in Tehran pro league matches who were randomly assigned to training and placebo groups and passed tests and training interventions. Gaze data were registered using Pupil eye tracker and penalty kick anticipation was recorded using temporal occlusion paradigm. 30 videos of real penalty kicks by expert soccer players were recorded and ball-foot contact moments were occluded so that goalkeepers could anticipate the direction of ball kicking in those videos. Results of 2*4 mixed ANOVA showed that despite of homogeneity of training and placebo groups in pretest (P>0.05), training group had advantage in other phases and this advantage was maintained under pressure (P<0.05). The training enhanced successful anticipation and changed gaze behaviors proportional to successful anticipation and these changes were sustained during 72 hours of retention and transfer test under pressure. Training interventions based on quiet eye can be used as a training package along with physical training and skills of soccer goalkeepers and therefore help them to improve perceptual capabilities and to optimally use visual signs.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder that occurs in early childhood and is characterized by two main cores of impairment in communication and social interaction, as well as repeated and limited behaviors, called stereotypical behaviors. Stereotypic behaviors refer to behaviors that are repetitive, rigid, invariant, maladaptive, and self–stimulatory. Furthermore, sleep problems are one of the most common clinical difficulty associated with autism. Sleep problems in children with ASD are much more common than other developmental disorders, and the percentage of outbreak is reported to be between 50 to 80%. Sleep disturbances can have detrimental effects on children’s cognitive development and daily functioning in areas such as attention, learning, memory, mood regulation, and behavior. According to past research, there was a direct and positive relationship between the severity of sleep problems and the severity of the symptoms of autism. Aquatics programs have clear benefits for children with ASD. Previous studies have shown that aquatic exercise can be used to improve the behavioral, physical and cognitive problems of children with ASD; but there is some shortage about its effect on sleep habits in ASD. This study aimed to investigate the effect of aquatic exercise on stereotypic behaviors and sleep habits in children with ASD.

This study was an experimental research with a pretest–posttest randomized design with control group. The population consisted of children with ASD, being a member of Guilan Autism Association in Rasht (Guilan province, North of Iran). A total of twenty children with ASD (mean aged 10.9±2.91 years) were selected according to convenience sampling. Inclusion criteria included; male gender (8–14 years), parental satisfaction, and having behavioral and sleep problems, according to parents’ reports. Exclusion criteria also involved having severe autism, being absence more than two times in aquatic exercise sessions and receiving specialized treatment in addition to the usual treatment receiving at their association. The participants were randomly divided into two groups, namely, experimental (N=10) and control (N=10). Experimental group received aquatic training program 60 min, 2 sessions per week/for ten week, including 5 minutes of warm–up, 20 minutes of aerobic exercise, 20 minutes of strengthening training using water resistance, 10 minutes of free swimming and 5 minutes cool–down. The research instruments were the stereotypic behaviors subscale of Gilliam autism rating scale (GARS 2) and Owens children’s sleep habits questionnaire. Parents of both groups completed the stereotypical behavior and sleep habits questionnaire before and after 10 weeks of intervention. Shapiro–Wilk test was used for normality and analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) was utilized to determine if differences existed between pretest–posttest in two groups.

Mean and SD of the age of experimental and control group were 11.30 ± 3.36 and 10.50 ± 2.50, respectively. Results revealed that ten weeks aquatic exercise had a significant effect on stereotypic behaviors and total score of sleep habits in children with ASD (p<0.001). Furthermore, the results of the analysis of covariance showed that aquatic exercise had a positive effect on bedtime resistance, sleep onset delay, sleep duration and sleep anxiety, but there was no effect on night wakening, parasomnias, sleep disorder breathing and daytime sleepiness in children with ASD.

The results of presnt study showed that aquatic exercise had a positive effect on stereotypic behaviors and sleep habits in children with ASD. Water provides relatively constant somatosensory input, which is an important feature for sensory integration (SI) techniques often used in treating children with ASD. At the same time, because there is less physical stress on specific body parts, the water allows for freer, independent movement. Therefore, it could be concluded that aquatic activities can be a valuable option added to the educational programs to reduce repetitive Behaviors and to improve sleep pattern in ASD.