Young athletes with disabilities: What are their risks for injury?

Introduction: Children with disabilities are finding increasing opportunities for sports participation at school. Risk of injury is inherent in sports. However, no research exists on the patterns of school sports injuries to young athletes with disabilities. The purpose of this study is to measure the frequency of and risk factors for injury to high school special athletes.

Methods: Eight special education high school teams part of an interscholastic sports league were followed for one season each of adapted basketball, field hockey, soccer and softball. We collected data on daily exposure sessions (game/practice/conditioning, length of session), athlete characteristics (disability, gender, age, seizure history, behavioral problems), and nature of injuries resulting in any type of medical treatment by the coach.

Results: 38 injuries were reported among 512 special athletes for a rate of 2.0/1000 athlete exposures. Soccer (3.7/1000) had the highest rate of injury. More than half the injuries were abrasions and contusions. Athletes with autism had over five times the injury rate of athletes with emotional/mental disabilities. Athletes with seizures also had three times the rates of injury compared with those with no seizure history.

Implications: We found that this interscholastic adapted sports program is a relatively safe activity for children with disabilities. Still, our findings have important implications for developing prevention strategies for athletes with autism and seizure histories who are at relatively higher risk for a sports injury.