Development of physical fitness in children with intellectual disabilities.
Kids with mild ID fall behind in fitness early and stay there unless you run focused, evidence-based motor programs and track growth yearly.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Austin et al. (2015) tracked physical fitness in kids with mild intellectual disability. They compared scores to same-age peers without disability across elementary and middle-school years.
The study used standard fitness tests like shuttle runs and sit-ups. Kids were tested once a year for several years to see if the gap narrowed as they grew.
What they found
Kids with ID stayed behind in every fitness area. Their scores did rise over time, but typical kids improved faster, so the gap never closed.
The shortfall was large and showed up as early as second grade. By eighth grade the difference was still just as wide.
How this fits with other research
Bellon-Harn et al. (2020) extends this finding into adulthood. They found that Australian adults with ID join sports only half as often as other adults, proving the fitness gap never self-corrects.
Edgin et al. (2005) saw the same pattern in daily-living skills. Standard scores dropped even when raw skills inched up, matching the fitness trend.
Capio et al. (2013) and Chiviacowsky et al. (2013) show the upside of targeted help. When kids with ID got error-reduced or external-focus throwing practice, their motor skills jumped. These trials hint that well-designed programs can beat the gap.
Why it matters
If you wait, the fitness gap hardens. Start motor programs before age eight and check progress every year. Use short, success-heavy drills like those in Capio et al. (2013) and give cues that point outside the body, as in Chiviacowsky et al. (2013). Track shuttle-run or step-test scores each IEP year to be sure the child is catching up, not just getting older.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
BACKGROUND: Few studies examined the development of physical fitness in children and youth with intellectual disabilities (ID), but the developmental patterns of physical fitness are largely unknown. The first aim was to examine physical fitness of primary school children with ID, aged 8-12, and compare the results with typically developing children in order to determine the performance level of children with ID. The second aim was to investigate the developmental trajectory of physical fitness in children with ID and the possible influence of gender and severity of cognitive impairment in a 4-year during longitudinal study. METHOD: Seventy-three children with borderline or mild ID (51 boys, 22 girls; age range 8-11 in the year of enrolment) were measured annually on running speed, aerobic endurance (cardiovascular endurance), explosive strength, handgrip strength and trunk strength. Physical fitness scores of 515 typically developing children (266 boys, 249 girls; age range 8-12) were collected for reference values. RESULTS: The results indicated statistically significant differences (with moderate to large Effect Sizes) between children with ID and typically developing children in all ages, favouring the typically developing children, and showed that the gap remained stable across the ages or decreased with increasing age. Multilevel models showed that the children with ID developed statistically significant on all items of physical fitness between age 8 and age 12. There was no statistically significant effect of gender on physical fitness, and the developmental trajectories were similar for boys and girls. For children with borderline and mild ID the developmental trajectories were parallel, but children with mild ID scored statistically significant worse on running speed, explosive strength and handgrip strength. CONCLUSIONS: Despite statistically significant development of physical fitness in children with ID, their physical fitness levels should be stimulated. This should start already in young children (<8 years) and the children with the most severe cognitive impairments need special attention.
Journal of intellectual disability research : JIDR, 2015 · doi:10.1111/jir.12142