Individual and contextual predictors of retention in Special Olympics for youth with intellectual disability: who stays involved?
Most youth with ID stay in Special Olympics when they practice often, try many sports, and feel welcomed.
01Research in Context
What this study did
The team tracked youth with intellectual disability who joined Special Olympics. They checked who was still playing seven years later. They asked what made kids stay.
What they found
Eight out of ten kids stayed in the program. Kids who practiced more often stayed the longest. Playing several sports and feeling supported also helped.
How this fits with other research
Weiss et al. (2003) showed that more games and medals raise self-concept. The new study adds that the same factors keep kids coming back.
Boudreau et al. (2015) found younger children with delays play less sport. That seems opposite, but the kids were only six to eight years old. Special Olympics starts later, so the gap closes as kids grow.
McIntyre et al. (2017) saw that carer stress makes families quit research trials. The sports study flips the view: when programs give steady support, families stay.
Why it matters
You can lift retention by scheduling frequent practices and offering more than one sport. Sell the social perks to parents. Ask coaches to greet each athlete by name. These small supports cost nothing and keep kids active for years.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
BACKGROUND: Despite the recognised benefits of sport, participation is often reported to be low for youth with intellectual disability (ID). The current study was the first to longitudinally examine sport retention in this population, a critical aspect of ensuring participation. METHODS: Study participants were parents/caregivers of athletes with ID involved in community Special Olympics (SO), 11-22 years of age (N = 345). Participants completed an online survey in 2012 that included caregiver demographic and athlete intrapersonal, interpersonal and broader contextual variables. Retention rates for 2019 were determined using the SO provincial registration lists. RESULTS: Of the 345 survey participants, 81.7% remained active athletes in 2019. Caregiver demographic and athlete intrapersonal factors were largely unrelated to retention. In contrast, retention was associated with the frequency and number of sports athletes participated in, the perceived psychosocial gains of SO involvement and the environmental supports that were available to facilitate participation; frequency of sport participation was the strongest predictor of remaining a registered athlete. CONCLUSIONS: This study has implications for future initiatives aimed at increasing sport retention in a population that struggles to be engaged in sport. Efforts should focus on the athlete experience and sport-specific factors. Coaches and caregivers can foster positive experiences and play an important role in continued sport participation.
Journal of intellectual disability research : JIDR, 2020 · doi:10.1111/jir.12731