Tai Chi as an Alternative Exercise to Improve Physical Fitness for Children and Adolescents with Intellectual Disability.

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of Tai Chi (TC) on anthropometric parameters and physical fitness among children and adolescents with intellectual disabilities (ID).

METHODS

Sixty-six Chinese individuals engaged in sport-related extracurricular activities (TC and aerobic exercise (AE)) as exercise interventions or arts/crafts activities as a control condition (CON). The experimental protocol consisted of a baseline assessment, a 12-week intervention period, and a post-intervention assessment.

RESULTS

Significant interaction effect was only observed in the performance of a 6-min walk test. After 12 weeks of intervention, the AE group had significant changes in body mass index ( = 0.006, = 0.11), sit-ups ( = 0.030 and = 0.57), and 6-min walk test ( = 0.005, = 0.89). Significant increases in vertical jump ( = 0.048, = 0.41), lower-limb coordination ( = 0.008, = 0.53), and upper-limb coordination ( = 0.048, = 0.36) were observed in the TC group. Furthermore, the TC group demonstrated significantly greater improvements on balance compared to the control group ( = 0.011).

CONCLUSIONS

TC may improve leg power and coordination of both lower and upper limbs, while AE may be beneficial for body mass index, sit-ups and cardiorespiratory fitness.