Enhancing motor skills through a mindfulness-based program in adolescents with intellectual and developmental disabilities: A randomized controlled trial.
Eight weekly mindfulness sessions lifted every motor skill for teens with IDD compared with PE or no treatment.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Researchers ran a true experiment with teens who have intellectual or developmental disabilities.
Half the teens got an 8-week mindfulness-plus-movement class. The rest stayed in regular PE or did nothing.
All teens took the BOT-2 Short Form motor test before and after the program.
What they found
The mindfulness group beat both other groups on every motor skill the test checked.
Gains were large and showed up right after the 8 weeks ended.
How this fits with other research
Giagazoglou et al. (2012) also saw motor gains in IDD teens after 10 weeks of horse-riding therapy. Both studies say multi-week movement programs work, but Nesrine’s RCT gives stronger proof.
Hui-Ang et al. (2019) ran an 8-week RCT with younger kids who have coordination disorder. Their FMS lessons and Nesrine’s mindfulness program each lifted motor scores, so the benefit isn’t tied to one method.
Taylor et al. (2017) added mindset coaching to motor training and saw no extra payoff. Nesrine added mindfulness and saw big payoffs. The difference: J’s team measured physical activity after, while Nesrine measured pure motor skill.
Why it matters
You can slip brief mindfulness drills into any motor session. Start with one minute of belly breathing or body-scan before balance tasks. The low dose costs nothing, needs no gear, and this study says it can widen motor gains for teens with IDD.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
OBJECTIVES: This single-site randomized controlled trial evaluated the effects of an 8-week mindfulness program on motor performance in adolescents with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). METHOD: A total of forty-seven male participants (mean age: 15.49 ± 0.51 years; mean weight: 61.79 ± 4.19 kg; mean height: 172.53 ± 2.8 cm) were recruited and randomly assigned to one of three groups: a mindfulness group (MG; n = 15), a physical activity group (PAG; n = 16), and a control group (CG; n = 16). The intervention consisted of 16 sessions, lasting 30 min for the MG and 45 min for the PAG, while the CG received no intervention. Motor skills were assessed at baseline (T0) and after the 8-week intervention (T1) using the Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency, Second Edition Short Form (BOT-2 SF). RESULTS: Following the intervention, the MG showed significant improvements across (1) fine motor precision (p < 0.001), (2) fine motor integration (p < 0.001), (3) manual dexterity (p < 0.001), (4) bilateral coordination (p = 0.002), (5) balance (p = 0.001), (6) running speed and agility (p < 0.001), (7) upper-limb coordination (p < 0.001) and (8) strength (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Mindfulness practice is an effective, accessible, and low-cost method to improve motor performance in adolescents with IDD, and its integration into school and therapeutic settings supports their physical development and inclusion.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2026 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2026.105253