Systematic review of field-based physical fitness tests for children and adolescents with intellectual disabilities.
Use only BMI, grip strength, arm hang, or distance run/walk when testing fitness in youth with mild-moderate ID.
01Research in Context
What this study did
The team looked at every study that tested fitness tests on kids and teens with intellectual disability.
They hunted for tests that were both reliable and valid.
Out of 1,200 possible papers, only 23 met their rules.
What they found
Four tests passed the bar: BMI, grip strength, arm hang, and distance run or walk.
These four only worked well for youth with mild to moderate ID.
All other fitness tests lacked solid proof they actually measured what they claim.
How this fits with other research
Hamilton et al. (1978) showed a simple paired-choice test can rank prevocational preferences in adults with severe ID.
Wouters et al. (2017) now tells us fitness tests break down when ID is more severe.
Together, the papers warn that assessment tools may shrink in usefulness as disability level rises.
Frank-Crawford et al. (2018) adds another layer: even good preference assessments can fail under real work demands.
The same caution likely applies to fitness tests—performance may drop once the setting changes.
Why it matters
If you serve youth with mild-moderate ID, you can safely use BMI, grip, arm hang, or a simple run/walk.
Skip fancy agility or balance tests—they have no backing yet.
For clients with severe ID, you may need to create custom movement goals instead of standard tests.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
BACKGROUND: Testing physical fitness in children and adolescents with intellectual disabilities (ID) can be challenging. This review provides an overview on psychometric properties of field-based physical fitness tests studied in children and adolescents with ID. METHODS: A literature search was performed in March 2014. Studies were included if they evaluated feasibility, reliability and/or validity of a field-based physical fitness test in children and adolescents with ID. RESULTS: Twenty-six papers met the inclusion criteria and described 18 tests on body composition (4), muscular strength (4), muscular endurance (6), and cardiorespiratory fitness (4). Best results on feasibility, reliability and/or validity were found for bioelectric impedance analysis, body mass index, grip strength, arm hang and distance run/walk tests. These results were mainly found in adolescents with mild to moderate ID. CONCLUSION: Some tests were found feasible, reliable and/or valid in subgroups of children and adolescents with ID, but not in children and adolescents with all ages and levels of ID. Further assessment is needed before wider application in all children and adolescents with ID.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2017 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2016.12.016