- Introduction to Achieving A Beneficial Fitness for Persons with Developmental Disabilities
- Society's Growing Need for Fitness
- Health Benefits of Physical Activity
- Distinguishing Between Physical Fitness, Exercise and Physical Activity
- Burning Calories is the Key to Good Health
- Major Goals of a Fitness Program for Persons with Developmental Delay
- I. Cardiovascular Fitness
- II. Muscular Strength and Endurance
- III. Flexibility and Benefits
- Motivating Persons with Developmental Disabilities to Exercise
- General Guidelines for Developing the Fitness Program
- Fostering Fitness among Staff and Caregivers
- Conclusion
- About the Author
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Treadmill Program for Individuals with Severe Intellectual/Developmental Disabilities
University of Florida Physical Therapy Department - Stroke
- Focus on Secondary Condition Prevention: Promotion of Physical Fitness and Prevention of Secondary Conditions for Children with Cerebral Palsy: Part II
- Key Components of a Successful Health Promotion Program for All Individuals, Including People with Intellectual/Developmental Disabilities
- Exercise Guidelines for People with Disabilities
- Sheltered Workshops and Residential Facilities Must Encourage Physical Activity
- A Systematic Review of the Outcomes of Cardiovascular Exercise Programs for People with Down Syndrome
- Nutrition for Persons with Intellectual/Developmental Disabilities
- Focus on Secondary Condition Prevention: Osteoporosis Risk and Low Bone Mineral Density in People with Developmental Disabilities
- Focus on Secondary Condition Prevention: Non-Traditional Exercise as a Way of Preventing Secondary Conditions - Part I
- The Efficacy of a 9-Month Treadmill Walking Program on the Exercise Capacity and Weight Reduction for Adolescents with Severe Autism
- Treadmill Exercise in Patients with Chronic Stroke
- Intellectual Disabilities & Fitness
James H. Rimmer, Ph.D
After 23 years of teaching and conducting research in the area of developmental disabilities and physical fitness, little has changed. In the small volume of research that has been completed on the fitness levels of persons with developmental disabilities, study after study has shown that their fitness levels are much lower than those of the general population (Pitetti & Campbell, 1991; Pitetti, Rimmer, & Fernhall, 1993). Their ability to run, jump, swim, climb stairs, lift weights, play golf or do anything that is physical in nature is inferior to the rest of the population. Most individuals with developmental disabilities get very little physical activity and carry high amounts of body fat, particularly women (Rimmer, Braddock, & Fujiura, 1993) and persons with Down syndrome (Rubin, Rimmer, Chicoine, Braddock, & McGuire, 1998). These traits do not develop from their condition, but rather from their lifestyle.
If you look around the general fitness and recreation community, you'll notice that there aren't many people with disabilities, including developmental disabilities, participating in physical activity. How many people with developmental disabilities do you see performing step aerobics in a local health club? Or going for walks after dinner with their friends? Where are they on the starting line of a weekend road race or a benefit walk? Are they hiking in Yellowstone? Skiing in Vail? Playing golf or tennis on the weekends? For the most part, they are conspicuously absent from the physical culture of our society. And as they grow older, it is likely that a greater number of them will fall victim to disease and disability at an earlier rate than the general population (Pitetti & Campbell, 1991).
It is my hope that we will not allow another 23 years to pass without seeing an improvement in fitness among the millions of persons with developmental disabilities. There is a pressing need to convey the message to the community of professionals, staff, and families who work in this field or who have children with developmental disabilities that fitness is not a luxury, but rather an essential prerequisite for maintaining optimal health and well-being throughout the lifespan.
