Muscle strength and executive function in children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder.
Sebastian Ludyga, Uwe Pühse, Markus Gerber and 1 others
PMID 34351051WHAT IT FOUND
Children with autism showed lower muscle strength and poorer executive function than healthy peers.
Higher muscle strength predicted better executive function specifically in the autism group, but not in healthy children. BMI was unrelated to these outcomes.
Key findings
01Children with autism had significantly lower muscle strength and poorer executive function scores compared to healthy peers.
02Muscle strength predicted executive function performance in children with autism, but this association was not significant in healthy peers.
03Body mass index did not predict muscle strength or cognitive performance in either group.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The cross-sectional design cannot determine whether muscle strength influences executive function or vice versa. The study excluded non-verbal individuals and those with intellectual disability, limiting generalizability to the broader autism spectrum. A high proportion of the autism group had co-occurring ADHD, which was not controlled for in the models and is also associated with executive function deficits. The study focused only on muscle strength; other fitness aspects like cardiorespiratory health were not examined.
Declared interests
The authors declare no competing interests. The study used data from the Healthy Brain Network, a public dataset.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that improving muscle strength will directly improve executive function. This is an association found in a cross-sectional study, not a randomized trial proving that strength training causes cognitive gains.