The effect of a motor intervention programme for learners identified with moderate to severe intellectual disabilities.

BACKGROUND

Intellectual disabilities (ID) cause problems in intellectual and adaptive functioning which negatively affect motor proficiency levels.

AIM

This study investigates the impact of a motor intervention programme on the motor proficiency levels of learners identified with moderate to severe ID.

METHOD

A quasi-experimental design was used to recruit participants which included 46 learners aged 15-17 years, identified with moderate to severe ID, selected from a South African special school. Participants were randomly divided into two groups. The 15 experimental learners received a 30-minute motor intervention programme, 3 times a week for a period of 6 weeks, whereas the 23 control learners continued with their normal physical education classes. Groups were assessed using the Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency, second edition (BOT-2) Brief Form.

RESULTS

The motor intervention programme significantly improved the total scores (p = 0.0380) and the overall motor proficiency levels (p = 0.0447) of the experimental group.

CONCLUSIONS

This study reveals evidence that a motor intervention programme can be used as an effective means to improve the motor proficiency levels of learners with moderate to severe ID.

IMPLICATIONS

A motor intervention should be implemented as soon as possible to enhance the motor proficiency levels of these learners.