Sports Games and Motor Skills in Children, Adolescents and Youth with Intellectual Disabilities

Abstract

(1) Background: Sports games are one of the best ways of engaging in physical activity for individuals with intellectual disabilities (ID) and Down syndrome (DS). This systematic review of the current literature aims to identify and sum relevant data on motor skills and clarify whether there are positive effects of sports programs in motor skills games in children, adolescents, and youth with ID and DS. (2) Methods: The systematic review of the papers was carried out following the methodological guidelines and by the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) consensus. The following electronic databases were researched: PubMed, MEDLINE, Google Scholar, ScienceDirect, and ERIC from 2001 to 2023. (3) Results: The basketball test battery can be used to improve and monitor basketball training. Basketball players with lower levels of ID achieved better results, especially those with disabilities of the II and III degrees. Futsal has a positive impact on the coordination, and the differences between the test results of the vertical jump with and without an arm swing, that can be seen indirectly as a coordination factor, were statistically significant. (4) Conclusions: Basketball is recommended as an effective and practical rehabilitation program for children, adolescents, and youth with ID and DS. Futsal is an interesting and helpful activity for individuals with ID as well.

The Influence of Physical Activity Regime on Body Composition in Teenagers With and Without Intellectual Disabilities

“…Disabled people are overwhelmingly less physically active compared to their typical peers, which entail a variety of adverse physical consequences (Aksović et al, 2023;Kreinbucher-Bekerle et al, 2023). The outcomes of this idleness manifest in various secondary conditions; we mention cardiovascular disease, i.e., most prevalent cause of death among these people (Forman-Hoffman et al, 2015).…”

The Influence of Physical Activity Regime on Body Composition in Teenagers With and Without Intellectual Disabilities

“…Disabled people are significantly less physically active than their typical peers, which can lead to a variety of adverse health consequences [13,31]. The outcomes of this idleness manifest in several secondary diseases, among which cardiovascular disease, i.e., the first cause of death among these persons [20].…”

“…The research suggests that physical activity in and outside school positively impacts teenagers' physical, psychological, and social development. More precisely, physical activity has been proven to improve the quality of life [9], decrease the risk of disease, increase mental and emotional well-being [10][11][12], improve school performance and motor skills [13], increase the frequency of prosocial behaviours [14] and improve self-concept [15].…”

Exploring Physical Activity in Children and Adolescents with Disabilities: A Bibliometric Review of Current Status, Guidelines, Perceived Barriers, and Facilitators and Future Directions

“…Training or interventions aimed to enhance skills, including both motor [77][78][79][80][81][82][83][84] and cognitive skills [84][85][86], are proposed for disabled young people.…”