5 Tips to Promote Participation of Children with Disabilities in Physical Activities

The recommended amount of physical activity daily for children is at least 60 minutes per day. This can be difficult to accomplish for any children with the busy schedules that face this young generation today. For children with disabilities, this can be very difficult to achieve each day for various reasons. Pediatric occupational and physical therapists can help parents, teachers and other members of the community how to promote participation in sports, recreation and physical activities.

1. Educate on the benefits of sports participation and recreation: Regular physical activity helps the body by maintaining muscle strength and range of motion, increasing bone mass, and improving cardiovascular fitness. The brain also benefits from physical activity through elevating the mood, improving self concept, enhancing social skills and more. Specifically sports participation can create friendships, encourage creativity, foster teamwork and define meaning for one's life.

2. Choose appropriate activities: A child's disability or diagnosis needs to be taken into consideration when deciding upon an appropriate recreational or sporting activity. The American Academy of Pediatrics has produced various charts in the article Medical Conditions Affecting Sports Participation to help guide the decision making process. In general, it is recommended that children with disabilities participate in increased duration (minutes per session), frequency (times per week) and decreased intensity if comparing to typically developing children.

3. Minimize risk of injury: Once a sporting activity is chosen, modify the activities if necessary to ensure the safety of the child.

4. Adapt the activity: Offer suggestions to adapt the sporting activities so that the child can participate the most.

5. Have a positive, supportive attitude: Unfortunately, society tends to view children with disabilities too susceptible to injury to participate in traditional sporting activities. Families and the environment seems to influence participation more than the child's choices. Remember the children have a right to participate!

Reference: Murphy, Nancy A., Carbone, Paul S., and the Council on Children With Disabilities, Promoting the Participation of Children With Disabilities in Sports, Recreation, and Physical Activities Pediatrics 2008 121: 1057-1061

Tai Chi for Children

I am so excited to announce this new electronic title - Tai Chi for Children.  You can download some sample pages from the ebook at http://yourtherapysource.com/taichi.html.

This excellent resource includes a delightfully illustrated story for children with all abilities: It describes the history of Tai Chi and some basic principles and movement patterns (from Tai Chi Fundamentals®) in a way that children can understand. It could be read to teens or adults with intellectual or other challenges as well. This story book is for every parent, teacher,
child, therapist, physician, grandmother, or person who wants to learn more about Tai Chi or may want to inspire a child to try this form of physical activity.

Also included is background information on Tai Chi, the 12 movements of Tai Chi (with full page illustrations), guidelines which include the key components of each movement, benefits and simple verbal cues for seated and standing positions, student feedback scale and student practice chart.

Get more information at http://yourtherapysource.com/taichi.html

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Video Contest on Physical Activity for the Disabled

The National Center on Physical Activity and Disability (NCPAD) is sponsoring a video contest on how to get enough physical activity. The contest which is entitled "How Do You Get Enough" requires you to submit a 1-10 minute video on how to get enough physical activity if you have a disability, health condition or activity limitation. You can submit up to three videos of a completed, edited video or just raw footage. There are cash prizes from $150 to $1250. Also included is a chance to get your video professionally filmed and edited. All entries must be received by May 13, 2011. Find out more at the NCPAD website.

Want to see the winning videos? They will be posted after August 2011 at the NCPAD You Tube channel.

Survey on Health and Lifestyle of Adolescents with Disabilities

Request for Research Participants

The University of Illinois at Chicago is currently conducting Internet-based survey research on the heath and lifestyle of adolescents with disabilities. This confidential study is looking for teens 12-18 with physical or cognitive disabilities, as well as their parent or caregiver, to complete an online survey.

If you would like to participate in this research, please visit the following link: www.healthforyouth.org and enter the access code: PEAL. Of you have any questions about this research please contact Brienne Davis in the Department of Disability and Human Development at bdavis7@uic.edu or 312-355-4054.

See the flyer below.