Impact of Inclusive Soccer Program on Psychosocial Development of Children with and without Intellectual Disabilities

AbstractErroneous perception of “disability” in typically developing children leads to the exclusion of children with intellectual disabilities in sport. Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of inclusive soccer (INS) program on ameliorating adverse behavior in children with and without intellectu al disabilities (ID). Participants were 40 children, with half having intellectual disabilities (n = 20). Both the experimental and comparison groups consisted of 10 children with and without ID, respectively. The experimental group participated in an INS whereas the comparison group participated in a segregated soccer program. The Withdrawn Behavior Checklist (WBC) and Social Distance Scale (SDS) were measured repeatedly for children with and without ID, respectively. A mixed-design ANOVA was conducted for data analysis. There were significant main effects on time, group, and interaction for both SDS and WBC of the experimental group, except between-group difference on WBC. The compar ison group did not show any significant change. The social distance of children toward peers with ID and withdrawn behavior of children with ID have been reduced. The INS could provide benefits for the psychosocial development of children on both populations toward inclusion.
Source: Journal of Developmental and Physical Disabilities - Category: Disability Source Type: research