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Functional Limitations Reported Among U.S. Adults With Intellectual Disability Participating in Special Olympics: A
Alicia M Dixon-Ibarra1, John P Hanley1, Andrew E Lincoln1
1Special Olympics International, Washington, DC.
American Journal on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities
|August 12, 2026
Summary
Special Olympics athletes show significant functional limitations, with over 82% reporting difficulties under a broad definition. This highlights diverse needs and informs better programming and disability surveillance for intellectual disability research.
Area of Science:
- Disability studies
- Public health
- Intellectual disability research
Background:
- The Washington Group Short Set on Functioning (WG-SS) is crucial for identifying functional limitations.
- Integrating WG-SS into Special Olympics (SO) surveys helps understand support needs for individuals with intellectual disabilities.
- SO programming can be enhanced by understanding the functional profiles of its athletes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the functional limitations of U.S. Special Olympics athletes using both restrictive and broad definitions.
- To compare self-reported and proxy-reported functioning data.
- To compare SO athletes' functioning with National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) estimates.
Main Methods:
- An online survey was administered to 525 U.S. Special Olympics athletes in 2022.
- The Washington Group Short Set on Functioning (WG-SS) was used to assess functional limitations.
- Data were compared between self- and proxy-reports and against NHIS estimates.
Main Results:
- Under a broad definition, 82.1% of SO athletes reported functional limitations, compared to 24.2% under a restricted definition.
- Significant differences were observed between self- and proxy-reported data.
- SO athletes exhibited higher prevalence ratios across all six functional domains compared to NHIS estimates, notably in self-care (PR=12.93) and communication (PR=11.21).
Conclusions:
- Special Olympics athletes demonstrate considerable functional diversity.
- Findings support the need for tailored SO programming and improved disability surveillance methods.
- The WG-SS is a valuable tool for assessing functioning in this population.
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