The effect of the adapted soccer programme on motor learning and psychosocial behaviour in adolescents with Down syndrome.
Twice-weekly adapted soccer cuts aggression and anxiety in Down-syndrome teens faster than it builds motor skills.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Researchers ran a 16-week soccer program for teens with Down syndrome. Kids met twice a week for adapted practices and small games.
The team used a coin flip to place each teen in soccer or a wait-list. They tracked mood, behavior, and simple motor tasks.
What they found
Soccer teens showed medium drops in aggression, anxiety, and depression. Attention and social skills also improved.
Motor gains were small. The biggest wins were emotional and social, not physical.
How this fits with other research
Lerner et al. (2012) saw similar social boosts after only eight weeks of Unified soccer. Their players with ID also cut problem behaviors.
Hoyle et al. (2022) ran a non-soccer exercise program the same year. They found only small executive-function gains, matching the small motor lift here.
Sosnowski et al. (2022) stretched team-sport logic to adults, showing large fitness gains with basketball. Together the studies say: sport helps Down syndrome, but psychosocial gains come faster than physical ones.
Why it matters
You do not need fancy gear. Two after-school soccer sessions can calm meltdowns and lift mood in teens who struggle with both. Add soccer to the behavior plan while you keep teaching daily-living skills. Track social initiations and aggression data before and after practice; you may see the change in weeks.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
BACKGROUND: Numerous studies have proven the significant positive impact of the regular physical activity on general health conditions and quality of life of people with intellectual disability. In practice, various adapted sports activities are used. The current study deals with the effects of the soccer programme. AIM: The purpose of the study is to evaluate the effects of adapted soccer on the motor learning and some psychosocial characteristics in adolescents with Down syndrome. METHODS: Twenty-five participants were recruited and randomised into two groups (exercise and control). Adolescents placed in the exercise group carried out a special soccer programme twice a week during 16 weeks, while adolescents placed in the control group continued with their usual daily regime. Specific motor coordination, level of aggression, attention disorders, level of anxiety and depression, and social problems were measured before and after the training period. Mixed ANOVA were used to evaluate the effects of the experimental treatment. RESULTS: The exercise group had significant improvements (P < 0.05) in one of three motor variables (only in the easiest task) and in all psychosocial variables. There are no one significant change in the control group. The adapted soccer programme influenced more seriously on psychosocial characteristics than on motor learning of adolescent with DS. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that adapted soccer training can decrease aggression, anxiety and depression levels, and improve attention, social behaviour and simple motor skills in adolescents with Down syndrome.
Journal of intellectual disability research : JIDR, 2022 · doi:10.1111/jir.12881