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Physical activity and motor skill outcomes of a 10-week intervention for children with intellectual and developmental
Leah R Ketcheson1, Erin E Centeio2, Erin E Snapp1
1Wayne State University, United States.
Insights
Early intervention in gross motor function (GMF) may enhance physical activity (PA) for children with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). Improved GMF is linked to increased moderate to vigorous PA, suggesting tailored approaches are beneficial.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Developmental Disabilities
- Physical Therapy
Background:
- Children with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) face significant barriers to physical activity (PA) due to underdeveloped gross motor function (GMF).
- Early GMF intervention can improve opportunities for regular PA, leading to better health and social skills in children with IDD.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the effectiveness of a community-based intervention focused on GMF for improving motor skills and PA in children with IDD.
Main Methods:
- A 10-week, 1-hour/week community-based program was implemented.
- A convenience sample of 24 children with IDD participated.
Main Results:
- No statistically significant pre-post changes in overall motor skill scores were observed.
- A positive trend in motor skill scores was noted across most skills.
- Improvements in participant locomotor skills significantly predicted increases in moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA).
Conclusions:
- Individualized GMF attention may enhance motor skills in children with IDD.
- Community-based adapted PA interventions show promise and warrant further research.
- These findings support continued investigation into effective strategies for addressing motor delays in children with IDD.
Background:
Children with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) often experience increased barriers to engaging in physical activity (PA) which can stem from lack of gross motor function (GMF) development. Intervening on GMF at an early age can create better opportunities for children with IDD to engage in regular PA. In turn, increased PA can improve health outcomes and increase social skills.
Objective:
The primary objective of this pilot study was to explore the effectiveness of a community-based GMF-focused PA intervention for improving overall motor skills and PA for children with IDD.
Methods:
All study participants (n = 24) engaged in 10 weeks of programming for 1 h each week. A convenience sample was utilized.
Results:
Results indicated no statistically significant changes pre to post for motor skill scores. However, a visual analysis of mean changes showed a consistent pattern of increased scores from pre to post on most skills. Additionally, we found that a change in participant locomotor skills significantly predicted change in Moderate to Vigorous Physical Activity (MVPA), F (1,11) = 5.16, Adj R2 = .26, p = .04.
Conclusions:
These results suggest individualized attention on GMF may help to increase motor skills for children with IDD. This study adds to the small but growing amount of research examining the efficacy of community based adapted PA interventions. Further, study results should support continued exploration of effective approaches to address the motor delays experienced by children with IDD.
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