Research Article Published Online: 2018. February.23 J Rehab Med. 2019; 7(4): 11-20 11 Effect of Regular Exercise on Social Interactions in Children with Intellectual Disability Ayoub Hashemi 1 , Mahmoud Sheikh* 2 , Shahnaz Shahrbanian 3 1. Ph.D Student of Motor Behavior, Tehran University, Tehran, Iran 2. Associate Professor of Motor Behavior, Tehran University, Tehran, Iran 3. Department of Sport Science, Faculty of Humanities, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran, Department of Sport Rehabilitation, Faculty of Sport Science, Bu Ali Sina University, Hamedan, Iran Received: 2017.May.31 Revised: 2018. February.04 Accepted: 2018.February.10 Abstract Background and Aim: The aim of the present study was to examine the effects of regular exercise on the social interactions of educable mentally retarded children aged 8 to 14 years old in Shiraz. Materials and Methods: In the current study, from among 75 educable mentally retarded students, 24 patients were randomly selected and assigned to two experimental (six boys, six daughters) and control (six boyd, six girls) groups. To assess their social interactions, Dadkhah Social Interactions questionnaire was used. The design chosen was quasi-experimental with pre-test and post-test and a control group. K-S test was run to determine the normal distribution of data and Levin test and covariance analysis were used to compare the means. Results: Findings showed that after a period of regular exercise, social interactions of these children improved dramatically (P<0/05). Conclusion: According to the results, it can be concluded that regular exercise (Dunn and fait, 2010) is effective in increasing the social interaction of children with intellectual disability and, by its very nature, it can have a positive effect on social interactions, as a very important psychological component. Keywords: Social interactions; Regular exercise, Intellectual disability children Cite this article as: Ayoub Hashemi, Mahmoud Sheikh, Shahnaz Shahrbanian.Effect of regular exercise on social interactions in children with intellectual disability. J Rehab Med. 2019; 7(4): 11-20. * Corresponding Author: Associate Professor of Motor Behavior, Tehran University, Tehran, Iran Email: Prosheikh@yahoo.com DOI: 10.22037/jrm.2018.110874.1590