SOCCER IN PROMOTING THE MOTOR, COGNITIVE, AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT OF CHILDREN WITH ADHD: AN INTEGRATIVE LITERATURE REVIEW

Abstract

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is one of the most prevalent neurodevelopmental disorders in childhood and may impair motor, cognitive, and social development. In this context, soccer has been investigated as a complementary strategy to stimulate essential skills for child development. This study aimed to analyze the scientific evidence regarding the contributions of soccer to the motor, cognitive, and social development of children with ADHD. This is an integrative literature review conducted according to the PRISMA 2020 guidelines, including studies published between 2015 and 2025 retrieved from PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, SPORTDiscus, ERIC, SciELO, Google Scholar, and the CAPES Periodicals Portal. The analyzed studies demonstrated that soccer practice promotes improvements in motor coordination, agility, balance, executive functions, attention, inhibitory control, working memory, social interaction, cooperation, and emotional self-regulation. It is concluded that soccer represents an important complementary educational and therapeutic tool, contributing to the integral development and social inclusion of children with ADHD.