For this study, 240 students with intellectual disabilities were assessed using the German Motor Test 6-18. The sample included 158 boys and 82 girls with a mean age of 11.12 years (SD = 3.42). In addition, data on IQ, age, and gender were collected. Compared with the normative reference sample, 94% of the participants scored in the below-average or far-below-average range. Physical fitness and athletic performance were particularly low in the domains of strength, endurance, and coordination, whereas flexibility showed comparatively more favorable results. A moderate positive correlation was found between IQ and overall athletic performance, especially among students with the lowest performance levels. In contrast, age and gender showed no significant effects on motor outcomes. These findings underline the need for differentiated and individually tailored motor skill development programs in the field of intellectual disabilities and point to the limited applicability of existing normative values for this population.
This study evaluated the functional capacity of adults with disabilities in a cross-sectional design, examining differences by gender and disability type. Participants included 73 adults (46 women and 27 men) with physical disabilities (PD), intellectual and mental disabilities (IMD), or functional limitations due to cancer (CD). Functional capacity was assessed using the Evaluation of Functionality in Disabled Population, measuring neuromuscular function, combined actions, acceleration, balance, and cardiorespiratory function. Men showed higher strength test scores. Significant differences emerged between CD and IMD groups in combined actions and balance, with CD outperforming IMD. In the walking test, CD participants demonstrated superior results compared with PD and IMD groups in distance covered, heart rate, stride length, and pace. This study confirmed gender and disability-specific differences in functional capacity, with men showing higher performance and PD and IMD groups presenting greater limitations. These findings highlight the need for evidence-based, tailored exercise interventions that address both gender and disability type, with the aim of improving functional autonomy.
This study aims to examine the effects of an adapted physical activity on focused attention in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). In this study, an adapted physical activity was planned for children who have ASD by using a multiple baseline design across skills, one of the single-subject designs., The program was taught via the most-to-least prompting, and its effects on focused attention skills of children with ASD were examined before and after the training. Three students with ASD participated in the study. Data collection tools included a data collection form, and the Bourdon attention test to determine baseline level, probe, instruction, maintenance, and generalization sessions in the study. Tau-U analysis results indicated a large and statistically significant effect of the intervention across all target behaviors. In conclusion, children with ASD should be more involved in adapted physical activity in public schools.
Physical literacy (PL) is increasingly positioned as a foundation for lifelong engagement in movement and physical activity, yet less is known about how it is enacted inclusively within disability-focused community contexts. This study explored how three Canadian community-based adapted physical activity organizations operationalized PL through inclusion-oriented practice. Guided by a Communities of Practice conceptual framework and an interpretive multiple case study design, data were generated through semistructured interviews and one practitioner focus group, alongside supplementary data sources such as field observations, organizational documents, photographs, and reflexive field notes. Fifty-one participants were involved across cases, including administrators, practitioners, program participants, and parents. Cross-case thematic analysis identified three interrelated pillars shaping inclusion-oriented PL practice: environmental compatibility, intentional programming, and ethical practice. Across cases, inclusion was not understood as a fixed property of a setting but as a relational and context-sensitive process requiring ongoing adaptation of environments, pedagogies, and organizational cultures in response to participant needs, aspirations, and embodied ways of moving. The findings offer a cross-case framework of idealizations for community-based adapted physical activity programming and clarify how PL can be advanced in disability-focused contexts without reducing inclusion to access alone, accommodation alone, or normative expectations of movement competence.
The aim is to evaluate the potential association between adapted sport practice and psycho-emotional functioning in adults with physical disabilities. A comparative, cross-sectional, and correlational nonexperimental study was conducted with 181 adults with physical disabilities (94 practicing adapted sport and 87 not practicing). Between-group comparisons were conducted for depression and anxiety symptoms, stress, self-esteem, self-efficacy, social skills, mindfulness, and resilience. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses were also performed for each psycho-emotional variable, adjusting for percentage of disability, age, and sex and adding adapted sport practice in the second block. Significant differences were observed between groups in depression ( p = .009), stress ( p = .012), self-efficacy ( p = .009), mindfulness ( p = .009), mindfulness in physical activity ( p = .012), and resilience ( p = .020). These findings suggest that adapted sport practice is associated with several psycho-emotional indicators in adults with physical disabilities. However, the cross-sectional design does not allow for causal inferences, and longitudinal studies are needed to clarify the direction of these associations.
