Effect of a hippotherapy intervention program on static balance and strength in adolescents with intellectual disabilities (original) (raw)
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Research in developmental disabilities, 2013
For adolescent people with ID, falls are more common compared to peers without ID. However, postural balance among this group is not thoroughly investigated. The aim of this study was to compare balance and muscle performance among adolescents aged between 16 and 20 years with a mild to moderate intellectual disability (ID) to age-matched adolescents without ID. A secondary purpose was to investigate the influence of vision, strength, height and Body Mass Index (BMI) on balance. A group of 100 adolescents with ID and a control group of 155 adolescents without ID were investigated with five balance tests and three strength tests: timed up and go test, one leg stance, dynamic one leg stance, modified functional reach test, force platform test, counter movement jump, sit-ups, and Biering-Sørensen trunk extensor endurance test. The results showed that adolescents with an ID in general had significantly lower scores in the balance and muscle performance tests. The group with ID did not h...
Body balance analysis of children and youth with intellectual disabilities
Journal of Intellectual Disability Research, 2019
Background Children and adolescents with intellectual disabilities (IDs) are an identified group with postural disturbances resulting from a lack of integration among the visual, vestibular and proprioceptive systems. The insufficient level of maturity of the sensory systems is at least partly responsible for disturbances in maintaining body balance. More sway can increase the risk of falls and body injuries. The aims of the study were (1) to compare the ability to maintain the body balance of children and youth with a varying degree of ID, both with the eyes open and closed, and (2) to determine to what extent factors such as sex, level of ID, visual stimulus and body height independently affect the ability to maintain body balance in children and adolescents with ID. Method The study involved 131 people aged 13-21 years (65 girls and 66 boys). The participants were classified as (1) with mild disability (42 girls and 47 boys) and (2) with moderate disability (23 girls and 19 boys), based on IQ test results. Sway measures were collected with the Zebris platform, with the eyes open and closed. Sway path, sway path in anterio-posterior and medio-lateral directions and sway area were analysed. Results Boys with moderate ID were characterised by a significantly more sway indicating their worse postural balance ability than boys with mild ID, both in the trials with open eyes and closed ones. The type of test (eyes open/eyes closed) to a small extent had influenced the body balance of the examined children with ID. Results of analyses of covariance had showed that all analysed factors (sex, level of ID, type of the test performance and body height), irrespectively from direction of sway (sway path in anterio-posterior and medio-lateral directions), worked independently influencing body balance. Conclusions It could be assumed that lower height, moderate disability and male sex are factors significantly reducing ability of maintenance of balance of children and youth with ID.
The Effect of Movement Training on Balance Skills in Children with Intellectual Disability
European Journal of Special Education Research
Our study tried to assess the effect of the Special Movement Education Program on the balance skills of children with intellectual disabilities. We used the experimental design of 23 children with intellectual disabilities between the ages of seven and ten in a special education and rehabilitation center in Burdur, Turkey formed the study group. We applied the Basic Movement Training Program designed to develop balance skills to the experimental group. We practiced 22 courses of 45 minutes two days a week for 11 weeks before and after the application. The study continued for 13 weeks. We used Sensory Profile Test, Pediatric Balance Scale, Flamingo Balance Test, Balance Test on Walking Device, Standing Test on Balance Device, and Balance Measurement Device data collection tools. Mann Whitney U Test and Wilcoxon Test, which are non-parametric tests, were used in this study. We found a significant difference between the pre-test and post-test scores of the experimental group. The findi...
Journal of Physical Education and Sports Management
Background: The influence of various physical exercise frequencies on postural balance and muscle performance among young persons with intellectual disability (ID) is not well understood. Method: Cross-sectional data from 26 elite athletes were compared with 37 students at a sports school and to 57 students at a special school, all diagnosed with mild to moderate ID and with different exercise frequencies. Data were also compared with a group of 149 age-matched participants without ID. Results: There were no significant differences in postural balance between young ID groups regardless of physical exercise frequency, all of them had however impaired postural balance compared to the non-ID group. The group with high exercise performed better than the other ID groups in the trunk muscle endurance test. Conclusions: It appears as if physical exercise frequency don't improve postural balance but endurance in the trunk muscles for young persons with ID.
Assessment of rehabilitation effects in children with mild intellectual disability
Scientific Reports
Research on effectiveness of rehabilitation programmes continues to investigate impact of therapeutic interventions on various motor parameters in children with intellectual disability (ID). This study compared the effectiveness of rehabilitation, reflected by physical fitness, static balance, and dynamic balance measurements, in children with mild ID. A total of 70 children with mild ID were enrolled for the study and were divided into two equal groups based on their body mass index (BMI) percentile, reflecting obesity or normal weight. Physical fitness was assessed using the Eurofit Special Test, whereas balance was evaluated with single-leg stance and timed up and go tests. The examinations were performed twice: At the beginning and at the end of a six-month therapy programme. Improvements were shown in the muscle strength of the upper limbs (p < 0.001) and lower limbs (p = 0.001), flexibility (p = 0.005), and static balance (p < 0.001) for the entire cohort. The effects of...
Słowa kluczowe: niepełnosprawność intelektualna, ćwiczenia funkcjonalne, równowaga statyczna. Abstract Introduction: Independent and safe mobility considerably affects social functioning and performing activities of daily living (ADL). People with intellectual disabilities commonly have a reduced sense of balanced posture. Aim of the research study: Examination static balance in adolescents with moderate intellectual disabilities under the influence of a 12-week programme of functional exercises on unstable surfaces. Material and methods: Static balance was assessed on an Alfa stabilometric platform. A total of 34 adolescents, aged 14–16 years, were involved in the tests. They were divided into two groups: group one took part in a 12-week exercise programme, and group two constituted a control group. Results: A statistically significant difference (p < 0.05) between the scores of the experimental and control group was revealed after the termination of the exercise programme, and it related to the Centre of Pressure (COP) surface area in the balance assessment test with eyes closed. The suggested battery of exercises considerably (p < 0.05) affected the shortening of the path length in the balance assessment test with eyes open. Those differences were not observed in the control group. The experimental group boasted a statistically significant (p < 0.05) shortening of the path length and a smaller surface area covered by the COP in exercises with eyes closed. Conclusions: The suggested training programme improved static balance in intellectually disabled adolescents who took part in regular exercise sessions.
European Journal of Adapted Physical Activity, 2014
Previous studies show that people with intellectual disability (ID) appear to have impaired postural stability, a lower level of physical activity, and lower aerobic capacity compared to persons without ID, limitations that could affect their health. This study investigates these physical functions and their associations in a group of young people with ID compared to an age-matched group without ID. In total, this cross-sectional study included 106 high school students (16-20 years): 57 students with mild to moderate ID and 49 agematched students without ID (control group). Tests were performed for postural stability, level of physical activity, and aerobic capacity. Both females and males with ID had significantly lower estimated maximum oxygen uptake (l O2/min) (p< 0.001 for females and p=0.004 for males) and a lower aerobic capacity expressed relative to body weight (ml O2/ kg*min) (p< 0.001 for females and p=0.012 for males) compared to age-matched peers. Analyses of associations were made using the Pearson's correlation coefficient and multivariate linear regression analysis. No significant associations could be found. Physical status appears impaired for young people with ID and functions, such as postural stability, should be evaluated separately.
Research in Developmental Disabilities, 2016
The aim of our study was to investigate the effect of a combined strength and proprioception training (CSPT) program on muscle strength and postural balance in children with intellectual disability (ID). The maximum voluntary contraction (MVC) and postural parameters (CoP Vm , CoP LX , CoP LY) of 20 children with ID were recorded before and after 8 weeks of a CSPT program. The participants were divided into two groups: an experimental group who attended a CSPT program and a control group who continued with daily activities. In the trained group, the MVC increased significantly (p < 0.001) after the training period and the postural parameters decreased significantly in Double-Leg Stance (DLS) and One-Leg Stance (OLS) during the firm surface condition as well as in the DLS during the foam surface condition; in both eyes open (EO) and eyes closed (EC) conditions. A CSPT program improves postural balance in children with ID could be due to the enhancement in muscle strength and proprioceptive input integration.