Physical Activity in Children with Physical Disabilties

breslin95

Hi, I am a final year health and society student in Dublin City University. For my final year health action project I am looking into the importance of physical activity for children with physical disabilities and the opportunities that are out there.

I have read a lot about the various benefits associated with kid’s participation in various activities such as improved movement capabilities, better management of weight, reduced risk of developing conditions associated with a disability and increased bone density. A lot of studies also report how involvement in regular physical activity can help children develop greater confidence in themselves and develop strong relationships with their peers.

From my experience volunteering with children with spina bifida I feel participating in sports or other forms of physical activity can make a real difference to a child’s life and their future. Alongside the physical health benefits I witnessed the sense of achievement children can get from participating or learning a new skill and making new friends. As I only have a small insight into this I was hoping to find out the opinion of family members, carers or service providers on this topic.

Also, I’m hoping to learn about the opportunities that children with physical disabilities have to participate in regular physical activity. Are there easily accessible services in most communities or do families often face obstacles in finding suitable activities which cater for their child’s disability? If this is the case do families ever play games which can be carried out in the home or any wide open space to ensure children are regularly active?

I’m really interested in finding out more about this topic from people who have personal experience so I would really appreciate any responses.

looksee

Interesting topic breslin95, I don't have any personal experience in this area but it would be of interest to parents I think.

RainyDay

Some relevant papers at http://nda.ie/Publications/Health/Health-Publications/?pageNumber=2 if you haven't already seen them.

Knine

I have a 7 year old and she has a very rare genetic disorder. My experience is that there is very limited resources or activities that cater for children with disabilities other then from their service provider.