Abstract:model was used to inform semi-structured focus groups to explore physical activity of CYP with ID.Participants were 23 (9 male) teachers and teaching assistants, from 3 special educational needs (SEN) schools (1 = Primary, 2 = Secondary) within North West England. Three focus groups were held with between 6 and 8 participants, audio and video recorded and data transcribed. Data were inductively and deductively analysed using Nvivo and represented through pen profiles. Results: Three pen profiles were developed… Show more
“…There were a few reasons for CYP engaging in unstructured physical activities during break periods. First, it was partly due to their own preferences, which is in keeping with research conducted by Downs et al () and Einarsson et al (); and second, it was also dependent on the staff supervising. Shaun (teacher) noted:In lunch and break times it’s not so much structure, its more probably down to the staff that are on the yard at the time really.…”
Section: Resultssupporting
confidence: 77%
“…In addition to structured PA periods such as PE lessons and extra‐curricular opportunities, break and lunch(recess) are ideal times to be physically active (Fairclough, Beighle, Erwin, & Ridgers, ). Research has suggested that CYP with intellectual disabilities are more reliant on the school environment for their PA as community programmes are often limited or unsuitable to their needs (Downs et al, ; Einarsson et al, ). Similarly, the school setting may provide solutions to some of the social barriers to PA, which include: a lack of parental time to assist with activities; a lack of friends to enjoy activities with; and negative attitudes from others (McGarty & Melville, ).…”
Accessible summary• We talked to teachers and learning support assistants about physical activity opportunities in school for children and young people with intellectual disabilities.• Schools require a lot of space to support physical activity.• Schools need specialist equipment to help children and young people to be physically active.• It is better for children and young people to do physical activities that are suited to them.
AbstractBackground: Despite well-established benefits of engaging in regular physical activity, children and young people with intellectual disabilities are significantly less active than their age peers.Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with two teachers of PE and two learning support assistants working in special schools in order to provide an insight into the physical activity tendencies of children and young people (CYP) with intellectual disabilities.Results: Access to and use of outdoor spaces was claimed to have a positive impact on the physical activity tendencies of CYP with intellectual disabilities. However, the schools we visited had limited indoor space, which impacted negatively on the duration and frequency of physical activity that CYP were able to engage in, particularly when space had to be shared because of timetabling issues and unfavourable weather. When it came to the "type" of physical activities, individual, self-initiated and self-regulated were favoured.
Conclusions:We end by suggesting that the onus is on teachers and learning support assistants to think of creative ways of using limited indoor space. The use of dining and assembly halls may be one solution. So, too, may be more individualised physical activities because they are often better suited to the needs and capabilities of CYP, and can often be performed in limited space.
K E Y W O R D Schildren with disabilities, education, health, intellectual disability
“…There were a few reasons for CYP engaging in unstructured physical activities during break periods. First, it was partly due to their own preferences, which is in keeping with research conducted by Downs et al () and Einarsson et al (); and second, it was also dependent on the staff supervising. Shaun (teacher) noted:In lunch and break times it’s not so much structure, its more probably down to the staff that are on the yard at the time really.…”
Section: Resultssupporting
confidence: 77%
“…In addition to structured PA periods such as PE lessons and extra‐curricular opportunities, break and lunch(recess) are ideal times to be physically active (Fairclough, Beighle, Erwin, & Ridgers, ). Research has suggested that CYP with intellectual disabilities are more reliant on the school environment for their PA as community programmes are often limited or unsuitable to their needs (Downs et al, ; Einarsson et al, ). Similarly, the school setting may provide solutions to some of the social barriers to PA, which include: a lack of parental time to assist with activities; a lack of friends to enjoy activities with; and negative attitudes from others (McGarty & Melville, ).…”
Accessible summary• We talked to teachers and learning support assistants about physical activity opportunities in school for children and young people with intellectual disabilities.• Schools require a lot of space to support physical activity.• Schools need specialist equipment to help children and young people to be physically active.• It is better for children and young people to do physical activities that are suited to them.
AbstractBackground: Despite well-established benefits of engaging in regular physical activity, children and young people with intellectual disabilities are significantly less active than their age peers.Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with two teachers of PE and two learning support assistants working in special schools in order to provide an insight into the physical activity tendencies of children and young people (CYP) with intellectual disabilities.Results: Access to and use of outdoor spaces was claimed to have a positive impact on the physical activity tendencies of CYP with intellectual disabilities. However, the schools we visited had limited indoor space, which impacted negatively on the duration and frequency of physical activity that CYP were able to engage in, particularly when space had to be shared because of timetabling issues and unfavourable weather. When it came to the "type" of physical activities, individual, self-initiated and self-regulated were favoured.
Conclusions:We end by suggesting that the onus is on teachers and learning support assistants to think of creative ways of using limited indoor space. The use of dining and assembly halls may be one solution. So, too, may be more individualised physical activities because they are often better suited to the needs and capabilities of CYP, and can often be performed in limited space.
K E Y W O R D Schildren with disabilities, education, health, intellectual disability
“…Recess provides a daily opportunity for discretionary PA in a safe, supervised environment. This is perhaps even more important for this population, where many barriers are perceived to exist to PA engagement outside the school environment (Downs et al, 2013;Downs et al, 2014). Participants within this study engaged in small group activities at generally low PA intensities.…”
Section: Implications For School Psychologistsmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…Recent, formative, qualitative studies have suggested that opportunities for children and young people with ID are limited outside the school setting in the UK (Downs, Boddy, Knowles, Fairclough, & Stratton, 2013;Downs et al, 2014), and that schools represent the most accessible opportunity for children and young people with ID to be physically active.…”
Section: Intellectual Disabilities and Recessmentioning
The benefits of physical activity (PA) and active play for children and young people are well established. Despite this there is a lack of PA research involving children and young people with intellectual disabilities (ID). This study investigated habitual PA and recess play behaviour in 70 5-15yr old participants with ID using objective methods (accelerometers) and systematic observation techniques (SOCARP). Results showed that few children were active enough to benefit their physical health (23% of the cohort). No differences in habitual PA, sedentary behaviour, or recess play behaviours were observed between boys and girls.Participants spent most of their recess time alone or playing in small groups, with no participants engaging in large group play. Older participants spent more recess time playing in small groups rather than playing alone and participants with Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) spent more time engaged in active pursuits and less time standing than non-ASD participants. Positive correlations were observed between time spent alone and PA. These findings are in contrast to those typically observed in a mainstream school setting. In conclusion, the participants within this study were not sufficiently active to benefit their health. Interventions designed from formative research are needed to promote PA within this population. Implications for school psychologists are discussed.
“…Verbatim transcripts were read and re-read to allow familiarisation of the data and then imported into the QSR NVivo 10 software package. The authors then followed the pen profiling protocol which is detailed in previous studies (Mackintosh et al 2011, Boddy et al 2012, Ridgers et al 2012, Downs et al 2014. In summary, using the focus group questions as a guide, themes were created using deductive analysis.…”
44Non accelerometer wear time has led to inconsistencies in how to classify a non-wear period.
45A review by Masse et al. (2005) found non-wear periods ranged from 10 to 30 minutes of 46 consecutive zero counts. This lack of standardization further extends to the minimum wear 47
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