Physical Fitness of Students With Intellectual Disability in Special Schools in Germany

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.