Abstract
This systematic review aimed to investigate the methodological quality and the effects of
fundamental motor skills and physical activity interventions on cognitive and academic skills in
3- to 7-year-old children with special educational needs. The review was reported in accordance
with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA 2020)
statement. A literature search was carried out in April 2020 (updated in January 2022) using seven
electronic databases, including ERIC, Scopus,Web of Science, PsycINFO, CINAHL, PubMed, and
SPORTDiscus. The methodological quality of the studies was assessed with Effective Public Health
Practice Project (EPHPP) Quality Assessment Tool. Cohen’s d effect sizes and post-hoc power
analyses were conducted for the included studies. Altogether 22 studies (1883 children) met the
inclusion criteria, representing children at-risk for learning difficulties, due to family background
(nstudies = 8), children with learning difficulties (nstudies = 7), learning disabilities (nstudies = 5), and
physical disabilities (nstudies = 2). Two of the included 22 studies displayed strong, one moderate,
and 19 studies weak methodological quality. The intervention effects appeared to be somewhat
dependent on the severity of the learning difficulty; in cognitive and language skills, the effects
were largest in children at-risk due to family background, whereas in executive functions the effects
were largest in children with learning disabilities. However, due to the vast heterogeneity of the
included studies, and a rather low methodological quality, it is challenging to summarize the findings
in a generalizable manner. Thus, additional high-quality research is required to determine the
effectiveness of the interventions