Physical activity and motor skill outcomes of a 10-week intervention for children with intellectual and developmental disabilities ages 4–13: A pilot study

Children with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) often experience increased barriers to engaging in physical activity (PA) which can stem from lack of gross motor function (GMF) development. Intervening on GMF at an early age can create better opportunities for children with IDD to en...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Disability and health journal 2021-01, Vol.14 (1), p.100952-100952, Article 100952
Main Authors: Ketcheson, Leah R., Centeio, Erin E., Snapp, Erin E., McKown, Hayley B., Martin, Jeffrey J.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Community
Developmental disability
Intervention
Motor skills
Physical activity
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Summary:Children with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) often experience increased barriers to engaging in physical activity (PA) which can stem from lack of gross motor function (GMF) development. Intervening on GMF at an early age can create better opportunities for children with IDD to engage in regular PA. In turn, increased PA can improve health outcomes and increase social skills. The primary objective of this pilot study was to explore the effectiveness of a community-based GMF-focused PA intervention for improving overall motor skills and PA for children with IDD. All study participants (n = 24) engaged in 10 weeks of programming for 1 h each week. A convenience sample was utilized. Results indicated no statistically significant changes pre to post for motor skill scores. However, a visual analysis of mean changes showed a consistent pattern of increased scores from pre to post on most skills. Additionally, we found that a change in participant locomotor skills significantly predicted change in Moderate to Vigorous Physical Activity (MVPA), F (1,11) = 5.16, Adj R2 = .26, p = .04. These results suggest individualized attention on GMF may help to increase motor skills for children with IDD. This study adds to the small but growing amount of research examining the efficacy of community based adapted PA interventions. Further, study results should support continued exploration of effective approaches to address the motor delays experienced by children with IDD.
ISSN:1936-6574
1876-7583
DOI:10.1016/j.dhjo.2020.100952