Intellectual disabilities a serious problem in the entire world and its prevalence is high in school-age children. These difficulties can influence cognitive, social and emotional areas of functioning and has led their families to suffer in economic and social disadvantages than those without disabilities. The main objective of this study was to investigate the effect of sixteen week resistance exercise on cognition developments of school children with intellectual disabilities in Desse & Kombolcha, Amhara region, Ethiopia. In this Pre-test and post-test study design eighteen adolescents with intellectual disabilities were participated in the study. Paired t-test was fitted to analyze the pre-test and post-test data of the study participants. In order to measure cognitive variables digit span backward, digit span forward, vocabulary and similarity test batteries were used to measure working memory, short term memory, vocabulary knowledge and comparative reasoning respectively before and after sixteen week of the training intervention. After sixteen week of intervention, a significant mean score change was observed in working memory, short term memory, vocabulary knowledge and comparative reasoning respectively (p < 0.05) after training when compared with before training. We concluded that resistance exercise can improve the cognitive skills of adolescents with intellectual disabilities.

The effect of resistance exercise on muscular strength with the influence of growth hormone is well known. However, there is little information about its underlying effect on thyroid hormones (T3 & T4) and thyroid-stimulating hormones. Specifically, no research has been done on the effect of a resistance exercise intervention on thyroid hormone and thyroid-stimulating hormone serum concentration level among school children with intellectual disability in Ethiopian. The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of sixteen-week of a resistance exercise intervention on serum concentration level of thyroid hormones (T3 & T4) and thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) in school children with intellectual disabilities. In this study, eighteen school children with intellectual disabilities participated. The participants' serum concentration level of triiodothyronine (T3), thyroxin (T4) and TSH were measured before and after a sixteen-week resistance exercise intervention and determined using quantitative determination of T3, T4, and TSH respectively. Paired ttest was used to analyze the pre-test and post-test data of thyroid hormones (T3 and T4) and TSH of the study. Aftersixteen weekof resistance exercise intervention, a significant mean score change was observed in the serum concentration level of thyroid hormones (p < 0.05) in T3 (p= 0.038), T4 (p = 0. 017) and TSH (p = 0.018). Our finding revealed that resistance exercise affects the serum concentration level of thyroid hormones and thyroidstimulating hormones in school children with intellectual disabilities.