Method and Effects of Training on Physical Fitness of Children with Mental Retardation

1997 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary

• Project/Area Number: 08458021
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: 体育学
• Research Institution: Miyazaki University
• Principal Investigator: KUSANO Katsuhiko Special Education Department, Miyazaki University Professor, 教育学部, 教授 (20040991)
• Project Period (FY): 1996 – 1997
• Keywords: mental retardation / Physical fitness / exercise training / Physical education / heart rate / running ability

Research Abstract

Previous studies have reported that mentally retarded children fall below their nomretarded peers on tests of physical fitness, but that when appropriate fitness training has provided, their progress, although slow, paralleled that of nonretarded. There is a special school children who have a markedly high abilities of endurance run ; most of the high school age students are able to complete full marathon. This study have been concentrated on the effectiveness of year-round physical education programs in this special school. All students, aged from 12 to 18, Os below 40, have participated in running program of 4 km six days a week, and they also have participated in physical education program in which muscle strength, flexibility and balance exercise were included. Workload in th aerobic phase of the exercise program were assessed based on heart rate. The heart rates during runnning exercise of last 1 km were from 165bpm to 180 bpm, with mean value of 150 bpm during whole exercise. The students showed higher abilities on the tests of physical fitness (muscle strength, endurance, , power, agility, and fiexibility) then the group of the other special school for mentally retarded children. This study clearly showed that a runnning program was effective in increasing cardiovascular fitness and work prformance of the children with mental retardation.