Table 1.

Summary of study characteristics.

Study	Design	Sample Size	Age Group *	Gender **	PD	Activity Type and Setting	SD	Diagnosis	Results (Positive [+], Negative/no change [−], Mixed [−/+])
Ahmed et al. (2011) [19]	RCT	84	13–18	Male and Female	10	Exercise (Included upper limb, lower limb, trunk, and neck aerobic exercises in addition to free running) Setting: School and home	10	ADHD	(+) Attention
Alesi et al. (2014) [20]	Single subject study design	3	13–18	Male and Female	8	Exercise (Integrated group exercise training with goal setting) Setting: Not mentioned	24	Down syndrome	(−/+) Working memory (+) Alertness and speed
Bass et al. (2009) [16]	Quasi-experimental	34	6–12	Male and Female	12	Equine-assisted therapy Setting: Good Hope Equestrian Training Centre	12	ASD	(+) Attention
Borgi et al. (2016) [21]	RCT	28	6–12	Male	24	Equine-assisted therapy Setting: Equine-assisted therapy center	24	ASD	(+) Planning
Bowling et al. (2017) [22]	RCT	103	6–12	Male and Female	7	Exercise (Cybercycling during physical education classes) Setting: School	24	Behavior disorders	(+) Self-regulation
Bustamante et al. (2016) [23]	RCT	35	6–12	Male and Female	10	Exercise (Physically active games and modified sports) Setting: School	13	Disruptive Behavior disorders and ADHD	(+) Cognitive control (+) Working memory (+) Cognitive flexibility
Chambers et al. (2016) [24]	Single subject Study design	5	6–12	Male and Female	4	Exercise (short-burst high-intensity physical exercise such as lunges, side jumps, and Chinese push-ups) Setting: School	4	ADHD	(+) Working memory (+) Attention
Chang et al. (2014) [25]	Quasi-experimental	27	6–12	Male and Female	8	Aqua therapy Setting: Local swimming pool	Not Stated	ADHD	(+) Response inhibition
Choi et al. (2015) [26]	RCT	50	13–18	Male	6	Exercise (Aerobic exercises consisted of running (shuttle run, zigzag run), jumping rope (individual and group jumps), and basketball (dribble, pass, shoot, and game) Setting: Not mentioned	6	ADHD	(+) Cognitive flexibility (+) Attention
Chou et al. (2017) [27]	Quasi-experimental	49	6–12	Male and Female	8	Yoga Setting: Dance studio	8	ADHD	(+) Attention
Cleary et al. (2017) [28]	Qualitative	28	Students: 13–18	Students: Male and Female	9	Exercise (Included indoor activities (such as treadmill, stationary bicycle, stepping machine) and outdoor activities (such as running, sprinting drills, or cycling in the school grounds) Setting: School	8	Students’ diagnosis: Cerebral palsy	(+) Attention
Cuypers et al. (2011) [29]	Quasi-experimental	5	6–12	Male	8	Equine-assisted therapy Setting: Riding School	24	ADHD	(+) Attention
Gabriels et al. (2015) [30]	RCT	116	6–12	Male and Female	10	Equine-assisted therapy Setting: Riding Centre	14	ASD	(+) Self-regulation
Gabriels et al. (2012) [15]	Quasi-experimental	42	6–12	Male and Female	10	Equine-assisted therapy Setting: Colorado Therapeutic Riding Centre	18	ASD	(+) Self-regulation
Garcia-Gomez et al. (2016) [31]	Quasi-experimental	14	6–12	Male and Female	13	Equine-assisted therapy Setting: Monfragüe Equestrian Centre of Cáceres	Not Stated	ADHD	(−) Attention
Garcia-Gómez et al. (2014) [12]	Quasi-experimental	16	6–12	Male and Female	12	Equine-assisted therapy Setting: Monfragüe Equestrian Centre of Cácere	12	ASD	(−) Attention
Garg et al. (2013) [32]	Prospective cohort study	51	6–12	Male and Female	26	Yoga Setting: Classroom	26	Multiple handicapping conditions, developmental disabilities, or ASD	(+) Self-regulation (+) Attention
Grönlund et al. (2005) [33]	Quasi-experimental	2	6–12	Male	12	Dance Setting: Clinic	12	ADHD	(−/+) Attention
Hariprasad et al. (2013) [34]	Prospective Cohort	9	6–12	Male	8	Yoga Setting: Child Psychiatry Unit	12	ADHD	(+) Attention
Hartshorn et al. (2001) [35]	Quasi-experimental	38	0–5	Not Stated	8	Exercise (Involved using hoops and jumping in and out of them, putting different body parts in and out of the hoops, following the therapist through an obstacle course of different shape and different height gym mats, and moving to a tambourine and stopping when the tambourine stopped) Setting: Not mentioned	8	ASD	(+) Attention
Hilton et al. (2014) [36]	Quasi-experimental	7	6–12	Male and Female	10	Exergame Setting: Clayton Child Centre	10	ASD	(+) Working memory (+) Alertness and speed
Hulls et al. (2006) [37]	Cross-sectional	18 occupational therapists	Children: 6–12	Children: Not Stated		Activity Type: Aqua therapy Setting: Not mentioned	Not Stated	ASD	(+) Attention
Jang et al. (2015) [38]	Quasi-experimental	20	6–12	Male	12	Equine-assisted therapy Setting: Equine Facility	14	ADHD	(+) Attention
Jenkin et al. (2013) [39]	Quasi-experimental	7	6–12	Male	8	Equine-assisted therapy Setting: Reserved are at a riding facility	9	ASD	(−) Cognitive control(−) Attention(−) Language
Jensen et al. (2004) [40]	RCT	19	6–12	Male	20	Yoga Setting: Westmead hospital	20	ADHD	(−) Attention
Johansson et al.(1998) [41]	Retrospective Cohort	92	13–18	Male	156	Exercise (Physical education) Setting: Pacific Northwest program	156	Social and emotional problems	(+) Academic achievement
Kaiser et al. (2006) [42]	Prospective Cohort	31	13–18	Male and Female	6	Equine-assisted therapy Setting: CHUM Riding Therapeutic Centre	6	Cerebral palsy, emotional impairment, learning disability	(+) Attention
Kang et al. (2011) [43]	RCT	28	6–12	Male	6	Sport (Sport therapy program) Setting: Department of Psychiatry of Chung Ang University Medical Centre	6	ASD	(+) Attention
Lawson et al. (2012) [44]	Single subject study design	3	0–5	Male	5	Yoga Setting: The Preschool and Language Stimulation Program School	7	Speech and developmental delay, behavioral problem, ADHD	(+) Attention
Lufi et al. (2011) [45]	Quasi-experimental	32	6–12	Male	52	Sport (Sport-based group therapy such as basketball and running) Setting: Not mentioned	104	Behavioral disorders	(+) Attention
Macauley et al. (2004) [46]	Prospective cohort	3	6–12	Male	6	Hippotherapy Setting: Merlin Farms Equestrian Center	6	Learning disability	(+) Language
Mackinnon et al. (1995) [47]	RCT	19	6–12	Male and Female	26	Equine-assisted therapy Setting: Therapeutic riding program	26	Cerebral palsy	(−) Attention
MacMahon et al. (1987) [48]	RCT	54	6–12	Male	20	The aerobic group’s exercise consisted of distance running, aerobic dance, and variants of soccer Setting: Not mentioned	20	Learning disability	(−) Academic achievement
Majorek et al. (2004) [49]	Case series	5	6–12	Male	36	Exercise (Therapeutic Eurythmy-movement therapy) Setting: Therapy rooms of a pediatrician’s surgery	36	ADHD	(+) Attention
McKune et al. (2003) [50]	Quasi-experimental	19	6–12	Male and Female	5	Exercise (Included activities such as relay runs, simple plyometric exercises, running through a mini obstacle course, a distance run of 1–2 km, and skipping) Setting: Home	9	ADHD	(+) Attention
Memarmoghaddam et al. (2016) [51]	RCT	40	6–12	Male	8	Exercise (Aerobic and goal directed exercises) Setting: University Sports Hall	8	ADHD	(+) Cognitive inhibition
Milligan et al. (2015) [52]	Qualitative	46	Youth: 13–18	Youth: Male and Female	20	Martial Arts Setting: Child Development Institute	20	Learning disability	(+) Self-regulation
Morand et al. (2004) [53]	RCT	18	6–12	Male	12	Martial Arts Setting: Martial arts school	12	ADHD	(+) Academic performance (+) Attention
Neely et al. (2015) [54]	Case study	2	6–12	Male and Female	12	Exercise (Jumping on an indoor trampoline) Setting: Classroom	12	ASD	(+) Academic engagement
Nicholson et al.(2011) [55]	Single subject study design	4	6–12	Male	6	Exercise (Jogging) Setting: Classroom	6	ASD	(+) Academic engagement
O’Callaghan et al. (2003) [56]	RCT	4	6–12	Male and Female	6	Sport (Kickball) Setting: Campus of a large public university	6	ADHD	(+) Attention
Ozer et al. (2012) [57]	RCT	76	13–18	Male	8	Sport (Soccer) Setting: Soccer Field	8	Intellectual disability	(+) Attention
Ozer et al. (2007) [58]	RCT	23	6–12	Male and Female	14	Aqua therapy Setting: Swimming pool	38	Cerebral palsy	(+) Attention
Packard et al. (2007) [59]	Prospective Cohort	10	6–12	Male and Female	4	Exercise (Vigorous aerobic physical activity) Setting: School	6	ADHD	(+) Attention
Pan et al. (2017) [60]	RCT	22	6–12	Male	12	Exercise (Motor and movement skills related to table tennis) Setting: Gymnasium	24	ASD	(+) Cognitive flexibility
Pan et al. (2016) [61]	RCT	32	6–12	Male	12	Sport (Racket sport) Setting: Table tennis center	24	ADHD	(+) Cognitive flexibility (+) Attention (+) Cognitive process
Porter et al. (2013) [62]	Case study	1	6–12	Male	4	Yoga Setting: Classroom	4	ASD	(+) Attention
Ringenbach et al. (2016) [63]	RCT	44	13–18	Male and Female	8	Exercise (Assisted cycling therapy) Setting: Cycling Bike	8	Down syndrome	(+) Response inhibition (−) Cognitive flexibility (+) Language (+) Alertness and speed
Rosenblatt et al. (2011) [64]	Prospective Cohort	24	6–12	Male	8	Yoga Setting: Medical school teaching hospital	8	ASD	(−) Attention
Rosenthal-Malek et al. (1997) [65]	Quasi-experimental	5	13–18	Male	10	Exercise (Mildly strenuous jogging) Setting: Urban public school and a community-based workshop	10	ASD	(+) Academic performance
Smith et al. (2013) [66]	Prospective Cohort	17	6–12	Male and Female	9	Exercise (Continuous moderate-to-vigorous physical activity such as hopping, skipping, etc.) Setting: Not mentioned	11	ADHD	(+) Response inhibition (+) Working memory
Stickney et al. (2010) [67]	Qualitative	34	Children: Not Stated	Children: Not stated	8	Equine-assisted therapy Setting: Central Kentucky Riding for Hope	8	ASD	(+) Attention (+) Language (+) Academic achievement
Tsai et al. (2009) [68]	RCT	43	6–12	Male and Female	10	Sport (Tennis) Setting: A laboratory	10	Developmental coordination disorder	(+) Inhibitory control
Tsai et al. (2012) [69]	RCT	51	6–12	Male and Female	10	Sport (Soccer) Setting: School	10	Developmental coordination disorder	(+) Inhibitory control (+) Attention
Tsai et al. (2014) [70]	RCT	60	6–12	Male and Female	16	Exercise (The endurance training program consisted of interval training and one continuous long-distance running session, and one session with another aerobic activity (e.g., cycling, step aerobics, or rope jumping)) Setting: School	16	Developmental coordination disorder	(+) Working memory
Verret et al. (2012) [71]	Quasi-experimental	21	6–12	Male	10	Exercise (Sessions included warm-up; progressive aerobic, muscular, and motor skills exercises; and cool down) Setting: School gymnasium	12	ADHD	(+) Attention
Wehrle et al. (2017) [72]	Qualitative	6	6–12	Male	8	Exercise (Includes warm-up, free play, and skill of a week) Setting: Shady Lane Elementary School	8	ADHD	(+) Attention (+) Academic performance
Wendt et al. (2000) [73]	Quasi-experimental	24	6–12	Male and Female	6	Exercise (Intense Aerobic-type physical activity program) Setting: SUNY Buffalo Amherst, Turf Football Stadium	6	ADHD	(+) Cognitive control (+) Working memory (+) Cognitive flexibility (+) Attention (+) Cognitive performance (+) Language (+) Cognitive process (+) Planning (+) Academic achievement (+) Fluid intelligence
Yildirim et al. (2010) [74]	RCT	50	13–18	Male and Female	12	Exercise (Circuit training, resistance training, and interval speed training) Setting: School	12	Intellectual disability	(+) Alertness and speed
Ziereis et al. (2015) [75]	RCT	43	6–12	Male and Female	12	Exercise (Various activities such as juggling, tennis, trampoline, juggling, etc.) Setting: Facilities of the University of Regensburg’s Institute for Sport Science	14	ADHD	(+) Working memory

Notes: PD = Program Duration in weeks; SD = Study Duration in weeks; RCT = Randomized Controlled Trials; ADHD = Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder; ASD = Autism Spectrum Disorder. * We categorized the age to three groups including “0–5”, “6–12”, and “13–18”-year-olds. Each study has been assigned the age group based on the mean age of study participants; ** Study population has been considered as “Male” when all or more than 90% of study participants were male. Similarly, when all or more than 90% of study participants were female, the study population has been considered as “Female”.