The effect of dual-task functional exercises on postural balance in adolescents with intellectual disability – a preliminary report

Abstract

A distinctly positive effect of unstable-surface dual-task functional exercises on postural stability in individuals with ID was also revealed in our tests. Implications for Rehabilitation Rehabilitation of intellectually disabled persons should be carried out individually and contain ADL-based exercises. The use of unstable surfaces, making the above training more difficult, naturally stimulates the trainee to focus more closely on the task being performed. Implementation of dual-task exercises, consisting in compiling functional tasks with balance training, in the intervention programme for adolescents with ID is likely to improve efficiency of their everyday living and the quality of their lives.

Dual-task functional exercises as an effective way to improve dynamic balance in persons with intellectual disability – continuation of the project

“…Adolescents with ID participated in the 12-week intervention programme willingly. After that time, all their dynamic balance parameters on the platform (path length, test duration, and reaction time) improved greatly and were significantly better than in the controls [20]. Participants fully accepted the intervention programme, and it also received a sympathetic response from their parents and physiotherapists.…”

“…The 12-week dual-task functional exercises intervention programme described in the previous paper [20] exerted a considerable improvement of dynamic balance in adolescents with ID. The extension of the programme by another 12 weeks only slightly improved the results achieved earlier.…”

“…by 47% R-F, 75% L-F, 45% L-B, and 56% R-B [20]. On the other hand, the analysis of the mean values of the results could indicate a trend towards obtaining worse results after discontinuing systematic batteries of exercises.…”

“…Most of the ADLs, which require body control and spatial orientation, are based on doing two or more things at the same time [19]. That was the reason why the authors of this study prepared batteries of dual-task functional exercises incorporating ADLs, performed with simultaneous stimulation of balance [20,21]. Adolescents with ID participated in the 12-week intervention programme willingly.…”

Conceptual model of sport-specific classification for para-athletes with intellectual impairment

“…Dual-tasking creates a more realistic testing environment, as it resembles the actual context of sport, where two or more tasks are performed simultaneously at all times (e.g., maintaining optimal speed and proper technique while judging the appropriate time to initiate the turning point in swimming). While executing two or more task simultaneously, the brain needs to constantly decide how to allocate the available cognitive resources, and as individuals with II have limited cognitive resources, this is expected to be more challenging compared to athletes without II (Mikolajczyk & Jankowicz-Szymanska, 2015;Van Biesen, Jacobs et al, 2017).…”