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Children with intellectual disability (ID) often have deficits in gross motor skills and static and dynamic balance abilities, poor lower muscle strength, and an increased risk of serious falls. They also face difficulty in continuing physical activity programs due to cognitive impairment and easy loss of motivation. However, dance/movement therapy (DMT) has been found to help children with ID perform static and dynamic movements.This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of DMT group sessions for children with ID as part of an early childhood special education preschool program. The outcome measures involved employing a hand-held dynamometer to assess knee extensor muscles, the one-leg stand test for static balance, and the timed "up and go" test for dynamic balance, and administering the Child Behavior Checklist and Caregiver-Teacher Report Form for children's adaptive functions and behavioral problems, as reported by parents or relatives and teachers respectively. Twenty-one children with ID aged 36 to 72 months participated in the study. Ten 60-minute DMT group sessions were conducted as manualized intervention, once a week. The measurements were done before and after the

Background Individuals with Down syndrome (DS) exhibit deficits in static and dynamic balance abilities and maladaptive functions. This study aimed to determine the effectiveness of dance movement therapy (DMT) group intervention in individuals with DS. Methods The 31 participating individuals with DS, aged 5-29 years, were randomly divided into intervention (n = 16) and control (n = 15) groups. Posturography was used for static balance measurement, timed up and go test for dynamic balance measurement and the Achenbach System of Empirically Based Assessment (ASEBA) questionnaire for adaptive function and behavioural problem measurement in participants before and after the DMT interventions. The intervention group underwent 60-min DMT intervention once a week for 10 times, while the control group had usual daily activities. ResultsThe results revealed a statistically significant difference and large effect sizes in dynamic balance [(f(1, 29) = 4.52, P = 0.04, η p 2 = 0.14)] in the intervention group compared with the control group. There were no statistically significant differences in static balance and ASEBA scores between the groups. Conclusions This study found that the DMT interventions helped to improve the dynamic balance in individuals with DS.

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