The effects of a Special Olympics Unified Sports Soccer training program on anthropometry, physical fitness and skilled performance in Special Olympics soccer athletes and non-disabled partners.
Eight weeks of inclusive after-school soccer boosts both fitness and soccer skill for middle-schoolers with intellectual disability.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Funda and colleagues ran an 8-week after-school soccer program. Kids with and without intellectual disabilities practiced together three times a week.
They measured fitness, body size, and soccer skills before and after. A second group of kids sat out and served as the comparison.
What they found
The soccer group got fitter and better at soccer. The kids who did not train showed no change.
Both players with and without disabilities improved, showing the inclusive format helped everyone.
How this fits with other research
Lerner et al. (2012) tested the exact same soccer set-up one year earlier. They saw better social skills and fewer behavior problems instead of fitness gains. The two papers are companion pieces: same game, different pay-offs.
O'Reilly (1997) used Special Olympics basketball for seven weeks and also cut problem behaviors. The pattern tells us any well-run Special Olympics sport can yield multiple benefits.
Northrup et al. (2022) stretched the idea further. They ran adapted soccer for teens with Down syndrome only and saw big psychosocial gains but only small motor gains. Mixing typical peers, as Funda did, may give the extra fitness boost.
Why it matters
You do not need fancy gear to help clients with ID. After-school soccer three days a week can lift fitness and sport skill in just two months. Pair players of mixed ability, keep drills active, and track simple metrics like lap times or completed passes. The same hour also builds social ties that other studies value.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
The study investigated the effects of a Special Olympics (SO) Unified Sport (UNS) soccer program on anthropometry, physical fitness and soccer skills of male youth athletes with and without intellectual disabilities (ID) who participated in a training group (TRG) and in a comparison group (CG) without specific training. Youth with ID (WID) were randomly selected out of all the students between the ages 12 and 15, with a diagnosis of educable mental retardation and no secondary disabilities, who were attending a special education school. Participants without ID (WoID) were randomly selected from a regular secondary school out of the same age groups of male students. All participants were given permission by their parents or guardians to participate in the study. Participants in the TRG included 23 youth WID and 23 youth WoID. Mean ages were = 14.1 (SD = 1.1) and 13.2 (SD = 0.79) respectively. Fifteen WID, and 15 WoID comprised the CG. Mean ages were 14.51 (SD = 0.81) and 13.78 (SD = 0.49) respectively. Prior to and following the program measurements were conducted, and data were collected on students' anthropometric and fitness components of the Brockport physical fitness test as well as a soccer skill performance based on the SO soccer skill test. Participants in the TRG trained 8 weeks, 1.5h per session, three times per week, in an after-school soccer program. CG did not participate in any sports program outside of the school physical education class. Dependent t tests and effect size calculations revealed that SO athletes and non-disabled partners scored significantly higher with regard to physical fitness and football skills in most variables compared with their CG. This Unified Program was successful in increasing fitness and soccer skill performance of youth WID as well as of those WoID.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2013 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2012.10.003