Individual and Contextual Correlates of Frequently Involved Special Olympics Athletes.
Boost parent sport support and athlete-coach rapport to keep kids with IDD coming back to Special Olympics.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Robinson et al. (2018) asked what keeps athletes coming back to Special Olympics.
They sent surveys to athletes with intellectual or developmental disabilities and their parents.
The team looked at age, parent help, athlete-coach bond, and past meet experiences.
What they found
Older kids, parents who cheer and drive, warm coach ties, and fun meets predicted frequent play.
Athletes with these supports signed up for more events year after year.
How this fits with other research
McGarty et al. (2018) reviewed ten studies and saw the same thing: family support can make or break sport time.
McGeown et al. (2013) showed that Unified teams build inclusion through close bonds, matching the coach-link found here.
Two older papers seem to clash. Ninot et al. (2007) and DeLeon et al. (2005) found that integrated school sports lowered athletic self-worth. The difference: those teams mixed ability levels, while Special Olympics is segregated and success-focused, keeping confidence high.
Why it matters
You can lift sport attendance by coaching parents to attend, transport, and praise.
Pick segregated meets if self-concept is fragile; blend in Unified games only after skills and confidence grow.
Track which athletes lack parent or coach support and fill those gaps first.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
It is important to understand factors associated with sport participation for youth with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). With a sample of 414 Special Olympics (SO) athletes, this study examined how frequently involved athletes differ from other youth who are less involved in SO. Results showed that frequently involved athletes are older, have more sport-specific parental support, stronger athlete-coach relationships, and more positive SO experiences than other athletes. These factors were predictive of SO involvement, even after controlling for athlete characteristics, including behavior problems and adaptive behavior. Athletes with IDD have the potential to be highly involved in sports when external supports (i.e., coaches and parents) are strong.
American journal on intellectual and developmental disabilities, 2018 · doi:10.1352/1944-7558-123.2.164