Long-term effects of athletics meet on the perceived competence of individuals with intellectual disabilities.
Inclusive sports can shrink athletic self-confidence in teens with ID, so build in praise and clear skill feedback.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Ninot et al. (2007) tracked teens with intellectual disability for almost two years. Half played on mixed-ability basketball or swim teams. Half stayed in separate special-ed PE.
The researchers asked each teen how good they felt at sports and how much other kids liked them.
What they found
Mixed-ability teams made the teens rate their own sport skill lower. Social acceptance stayed flat. Basketball players also felt worse about themselves in general.
In short, playing with typical peers helped skills but hurt confidence.
How this fits with other research
Two years earlier DeLeon et al. (2005) saw the same dip in sport confidence after integrated swimming. Together the papers show the risk is real, not a one-time fluke.
McGeown et al. (2013) paint a brighter picture. Their five-country interviews found that Unified Sports teams help teens with ID feel included through friendships and community support. The difference: R’s study asked about social belonging, not athletic skill.
Bondár et al. (2020) pooled adult studies and found exercise can raise self-efficacy when staff give personal encouragement. Adults may rebound faster than adolescents.
Why it matters
If you run inclusive sports, check self-rating scales early and often. Add quick pep talks that link effort to progress. Pair each athlete with a supportive buddy. Confidence can catch up if you spotlight small wins before and after practice.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
The purpose was to examine the effects of the type of athletic program (integrated versus segregated) and of the type of sport (basketball versus swimming) on two domains of perceived competence (athletic competence and social acceptance), and general self-worth. Participants were 48 adolescent females with intellectual disabilities (ID) divided equally into six groups: (a) segregated basketball, (b) integrated basketball, (c) segregated swimming, (d) integrated swimming, (e) physical education (PE), and (f) sedentary. The experimental treatment was 21 months long; for sport groups, this involved 2h of training each week and 12 competitive meets. We administrated Harter's (Harter, S. (1985). Manual for the self-perception profile for children. Denver: University of Denver) Self-Perception Profile for Children seven times to determine changes in perceived competence, and general self-worth. Results indicated: (a) no changes in perceived social acceptance; (b) significantly lower perceived athletic competence for the integrated groups; (c) significantly lower general self-worth for the basketball groups compared to the PE group. The integrated environment helps adolescents with ID to adopt a more realistic evaluation of their physical competence.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2007 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2006.02.008