Effects of a one-year physical activity intervention on fundamental movement skills of boys with severe intellectual disabilities.
Kids with severe ID need a full year of semi-structured physical activity—not just free play—to gain real movement skills.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Lei and colleagues ran a year-long randomized trial with boys who have severe intellectual disability.
One group followed a semi-structured physical activity program. The other group had free-play time.
Trainers measured fundamental movement skills before and after the year.
What they found
The boys in the semi-structured program gained far more movement skills than the free-play group.
Free play alone did not close the skill gap.
How this fits with other research
Takahashi et al. (2023) pooled data from many studies and showed kids with ID start more than a full step behind peers in every movement skill. Lei’s trial proves a long, planned program can shrink that gap.
Chezan et al. (2019) reviewed shorter motor studies and saw only mixed results. Lei’s one-year dose now extends those findings by showing balance, running and ball skills all improve when training lasts long enough.
Park et al. (2023) got a different pattern: VR cycling helped locomotor skills but not ball skills. Lei’s in-person program lifted all skill areas, suggesting real-world practice still carries broader pay-offs.
Why it matters
You now have solid evidence that free play is not enough. Write a 12-month motor goal into the IEP, schedule two to three semi-structure sessions each week, and track skill probes each quarter. The year investment can move a child with severe ID from “can’t” to “can” in basic run, throw and balance tasks.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
BACKGROUND: Little is known about the effectiveness of using physical activity-based interventions to improve fundamental movement skills (FMS) of children with severe intellectual disabilities (ID). AIMS: The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of a one-year physical activity intervention on FMS among boys with severe ID. METHODS AND PROCEDURES: Forty-two boys with severe ID (Mage= 9.6 years) were randomized into experimental and control groups. The experimental group participated in a semi-structured physical activity intervention, while the control group engaged in a supervised free play program, for 60 min per meeting, five times per week, over 12 months. Participants' FMS were assessed for pretest, 6-month midterm, and posttest; their age, body mass index (BMI) were also collected. OUTCOMES AND RESULTS: Controlling for participants' BMI and pretest scores, the intervention significantly improved posttest FMS in the experimental group compared to the comparison group. No significant improvement was found from midterm to posttest for the comparison group. No significant improvement was found from pretest to midterm FMS performance for both groups. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: The results suggest that the fundamental movement skill performance of children with severe ID can be improved, although the significant effects may only be evident after long (1 year), rather than short-term (6 months), time periods.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2021 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2021.103980