Motor Skills and Physical Fitness: A systematic review of 50 years of intervention research

A summary review of the previous 50 years of intervention studies pertaining to the development of motor skills and physical fitness of children with disabilities is presented. Physical activity among children is alarmingly low. Less than 25% of children overall meet the 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans of engaging in 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity per day (USDHHS, 2010). However, children and youth with disabilities participate in physical activity 4.5 times less than their age- and gender-matched peers (Rimmer, 2008). Decreased physical activity and unhealthy body compositions (e.g., obesity) tends to track into adulthood. As such, obesity rates of people with disabilities are 58% higher than adults without disabilities (BRFSS, 2008). Research-based interventions are one resource health practitioners can utilize to develop and refine appropriate rehabilitative methods. Therefore, the purpose of this review was to analyze intervention studies published since 1960 in adapted physical activity related to motor skills development and physical fitness of children with disabilities. Seventy (70) studies met the inclusion criteria of an empirical motor skills or physical fitness intervention experimental design study involving participants between the ages of 2 and 21 diagnosed with a disability. Interventions were organized into seven categories and critically evaluated according to their research question(s), sample, measuring instrument(s) and research design. In general, the highest quality intervention studies were those that best matched the research question to the most appropriate research design, obtained appropriate sample size, and allotted sufficient sessions to achieve an effective intervention.