Guided by Self-Determination Theory (SDT), the present study examined the sport motivation and coping skills of male and female wheelchair basketball players with and without disability (N = 72). In line with SDT, results showed that intrinsic and extrinsic motivation as well as amotivation was found to be present in this sample of wheelchair basketball players. Results also demonstrated that the participants surveyed in the present study scored higher on self-determined types of motivation than non self-determined types of motivation, thus replicating past research with athletes without disability. Furthermore, wheelchair basketball players with and without disability did not differ significantly with respect to sport motivation and coping skills, suggesting that they are more alike than dissimilar. Finally, results revealed that self-determined motivation is associated with enhanced psychological functioning.
Search Results
A Test of Self-Determination Theory with Wheelchair Basketball Players with and Without Disability
Stéphane Perreault and Robert J. Vallerand
Eurofit Special: European Fitness Battery Score Variation among Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities
Waldemar Skowroński, Michael Horvat, Joe Nocera, Glenn Roswal, and Ron Croce
The Eurofit Special Test is a battery of motor fitness tests resulting from a 10-year project of the Committee of Experts for Sports Research and is comprised of strength, speed, flexibility, and balance. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether the Eurofit Special was able to distinguish variations in functioning among individuals with intellectual disabilities. Significant differences were found in long jump flexibility 25-m dash, medicine ball throw, balance walk, sit ups in 30-s. Analyses demonstrated that the Eurofit Special was able to discriminate performance levels by gender, age, and level of intellectual disability (mild: 177 female, 368 male; moderate: 359 female, 476 male; severe: 92 female, 111 male).
Physical Activity Experiences of Boys with and Without ADHD
William J. Harvey, Greg Reid, Gordon A. Bloom, Kerri Staples, Natalie Grizenko, Valentin Mbekou, Marina Ter-Stepanian, and Ridha Joober
Physical activity experiences of 12 age-matched boys with and without attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) were explored by converging information from Test of Gross Motor Development-2 assessments and semistructured interviews. The knowledge-based approach and the inhibitory model of executive functions, a combined theoretical lens, enabled the description of similarities and differences in experiences that emerged during interviews. Skill assessments indicated boys with ADHD were not as proficient movers as their peers without ADHD. Thematic analysis revealed that boys with ADHD reported playing with friends, paid little attention to detail, possessed superficial knowledge about movement skills, and expressed many negative feelings about physical activity. Task-specific interventions and a wider range of mixed methods research are recommended for future research studies in ADHD.
Impaired Step Up/Over in Persons With Parkinson’s Disease
Joe R. Nocera, Michael Horvat, and Christopher T. Ray
This study explored the functional movement task of stepping up and over an obstacle in individuals with Parkinson’s disease to their aged-matched controls. Ten participants with Parkinson’s disease and 10 aged matched participants were assessed on the Step Up/Over task completed on a NeuroCom EquiTest long force-plate and analyzed using Group MANOVAs. The results indicate that individuals with Parkinson’s disease produce less lifting force and exhibited an increased time to complete the task of stepping up and over an object when compared with their aged matched peers. Considering the substantial risk of falls demonstrated in this population these preliminary finding demonstrate the need for interventions aimed at improving this component of function.
The Fair Use of Lower-Limb Running Prostheses: A Delphi Study
Bryce Dyer, Siamak Noroozi, Philip Sewell, and Sabi Redwood
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the role of lower-limb running prostheses and stakeholders’ perceptions of fairness in relation to their use in competitive disability sport. A Delphi study was conducted over three rounds to solicit expert opinion in a developing area of knowledge. High levels of consensus were obtained. The findings suggest that the prosthesis is defined as a piece of sporting equipment to restore athletes’ function to enable them to take part in disability sport. In addition, the panel determined that the development of this technology should be considered to be integral to the sport’s ethos. Crucially, prostheses technology should be monitored and have limits placed upon it to ensure fairness for both participants and stakeholders.
Prioritizing Adapted Physical Education Goals: A Pilot Study
Claudine Sherrill and Thomas Montelione
The purpose of this study was to develop and field test an instrument to assist in prioritizing adapted physical education goals. Nine goals were identified, and the paired-comparison technique was selected to examine beliefs concerning the relative importance of each goal. Data were collected from three samples representative of individuals who teach physical education to handicapped students and/or train others to do so. Findings indicated that the goal ranked as most important by each sample was not significantly different from those ranked as second and third in importance. Adapted physical educators consider many goals to be of equal importance. In general, motor skills, fitness, self-concept, and perceptual motor function/sensory integration are held in high esteem whereas creative expression is considered least important. Other goals are assigned intermediate importance. The Goals of Adapted Physical Education Scale (GAPES) is a valid and reliable instrument that offers promise for the further study of adapted physical education goals.
The Effectiveness of Therapeutic Horseback Riding in Children with Spastic Cerebral Palsy
Rong-Ju Cherng, Hua-Fang Liao, Henry W.C. Leung, and Ai-Wen Hwang
This study investigated the effectiveness of a16-week therapeutic horseback riding (THR) program on the gross motor function measures (GMFM) and the muscle tone of hip adductors in 14 children with spastic cerebral palsy (age: 3 years, one month to 11 years, 5 months). In the first phase of 16 weeks, nine of the children received the THR in addition to their regular treatment, while the rest received their regular treatment only. In the second phase (also 16 weeks), the arrangements were reversed. After THR, some of the children improved significantly in the GMFM E (walk/run/jump) score and the total score. The effect appears to be sustained for at least 16 weeks. No effect of THR on muscle tone was noted. We conclude that THR may be beneficial for some children with spastic cerebral palsy.
Physical Activity Experiences of Women Aging with Disabilities
Donna L. Goodwin and Scott G. Compton
This hermeneutic phenomenological study sought to understand the experiences of physical activity and aging with a disability. Six women with physical disabilities, including cerebral palsy (n = 2), acquired brain injury (n = 1), and spinal cord injury (n = 3), and between the ages of 22-37 years (mean age = 28 years) participated in the study. Their experiences were captured by way of semi-structured interviews. Each participant completed two interviews that were audiotaped and transcribed verbatim. The thematic analysis revealed three themes: experiencing something normal, loss of physical freedom, and maintaining function through physical activity. Implications of the findings were discussed within the context of health promotion and Verbrugge and Jette’s (1994) socio-medical model of disablement.
Crossmodal Inhibition of Return in Adults with and Without Down Syndrome
Cheryl Glazebrook, Digby Elliott, James Lyons, and Luc Tremblay
This study investigated inhibition of return in persons with and without Down syndrome (DS) when visual or verbal cues were used to specify a target in a crossmodal paradigm. Individuals with DS and without DS performed manual aiming movements to a target located in right or left hemispace. The target was specified by an endogenous visual or verbal stimulus. Both groups were significantly slower when responding to the same target as the previous trial when the target was cued in a different modality. Although participants with DS initiated and executed their movements more slowly, they demonstrated a similar pattern of inhibition as people without DS, suggesting that inhibitory processes are functioning normally in persons with DS.
The Effects of Exercise Intensity on the Stereotypic Behaviors of Individuals with Autism
Leslie J. Levinson and Greg Reid
The effects of exercise intensity on the stereotypic behaviors of three subjects with autism were examined. Two exercise programs of different intensities were implemented. The mild exercise program involved 15 min of walking, and the vigorous program involved 15 min of jogging. The frequency of stereotypic behavior was measured prior to exercise, immediately following exercise, and 90 min following exercise. The results indicated that significant reductions in stereotypic behaviors occurred as a function of the vigorous exercise condition only. The mean reduction of stereotypic behaviors between prejogging and postjogging was 17.5%. However, the duration of these reductions was temporary. Increases to preexercise levels were noted in stereotypic behaviors 90 min after exercise. The stereotypic behaviors of subjects were categorized into three components: motor, vocal/oral, and other. The motor component was most common. The mild exercise condition had little effect on the motor component; the vigorous condition resulted in a mean reduction of 17%.