Enhancing Executive Function in Neurodivergent Children; The Power of Soccer Training and Cognitive Exercising

The project aims to evaluate and compare the effects of structured soccer training and digital cognitive exercises on executive function (EF) in children aged 6–9 years with neurodevelopmental conditions such as ADHD and ASD. Grounded in the NIMH Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) framework, the study integrates physical and cognitive interventions to target specific EF domains—working memory, inhibitory control, attention, planning, and processing. Using a mixed-methods, multi-group experimental design, the project will examine whether these interventions, independently or synergistically, enhance EF, emotional regulation, and social behaviour, and whether gains are retained six months post-intervention. Ultimately, the project seeks to develop an evidence-based, scalable, and engaging intervention model that unites neuroscience, education, and sport science to improve cognitive and adaptive functioning in neurodivergent children and inform inclusive clinical and educational practices.