Sports Therapy: Adapted Physical Activity
Prof. Dr. Suat Karaküçük
Gazi University Faculty of Sports Sciences
ksuatt@gmail.com
Today, various terms are used to describe individuals’ physiological, psychological, and anatomical deficiencies or impairments. The World Health Organization (WHO) has developed a definition and classification based on disease outcomes and emphasizing health, with disability addressed in three separate categories. Accordingly; Impairment: A loss of function or deviation from normal in psychological, physiological, or anatomical structure. It refers to disorders at the organ level. In terms of health, it refers to deficiencies and abnormalities in physical structure and function. Disability: This refers to the reduction or loss of any ability compared to what is considered normal for a person as a result of impairment caused by the deterioration of health. It refers to individual-level disorders, limitations, or deficiencies in performing an activity in a normal manner or within normally accepted limits. Handicap: The inability to live a normal life and fulfill the roles expected of a person based on their age, gender, social and cultural status due to impairment or disability (World Health Organization, 1994).
Taking a different approach, Marles explains the meanings of the terms impairment, disability, and handicap used in the definition of “disabled” as follows: According to Marles, impairment is a medical term that refers to anatomical loss or loss of bodily function. Disability is a measurable loss of function resulting from impairment. Handicap is a social outcome caused by social circumstances and the environment that prevent an individual from achieving their maximum potential (Fulcher, 2004).
In summary, according to the World Health Organization’s definitions: “Impairment is a functional damage, disability is a limitation in normal activities, and handicap is a social disadvantage” (Şahin, 2004).
However, in light of all these technical explanations and classification approaches, it is understood that the terms “individuals with special needs” or “children with special needs” have come to the fore and gained acceptance as a more inclusive and useful concept, especially in recent years. Individuals who require special education are defined as those who, due to congenital or acquired causes, have lost their physical, mental, emotional, sensory, and social abilities to varying degrees, and as a result, have difficulties adapting to social life and meeting their daily needs, and require protection, care, rehabilitation, counseling, and support services (Öztürk, 2011).
In order to meet the developmental needs of individuals with special needs and enable them to benefit from educational services, there is a need for special tools, special methods, special programs, special education teachers, and special education environments. There is no doubt that physical education and sports activities implemented in these special educational environments for individuals with special needs have a privileged place in the education and development of individuals (Özer, 2011).
Physical activity for individuals with special needs includes physical and motor fitness, basic motor skills and patterns, water and dance skills, and individual and group games and sports. The targeted behaviors related to the sensory, psychomotor, and cognitive development of individuals with special needs who participate in these activities are listed below.
Emotional Development: Enjoyment, achievement, coping with disability, developing social competence (honesty, tolerance, cooperation).
Psychomotor Development: Developing physical and motor fitness elements – Developing basic movement skills – Developing sports skills.
Cognitive Development: Being able to create original responses when a movement problem arises – Learning to imagine, being able to add new things to imagination, being able to create new games, dances, and movement sequences – Being able to learn game strategies and rules (Özer, 2011).
In addition, Sherrill (1988, 2004) has listed the more comprehensive and long-term goals of physical activity for individuals with special needs as follows.
Importance
Rank
Long-Term Goals
1. Positive Self-Concept
Developing a positive self-concept and body image.
Being able to increase motor skills and body appreciation.
Learning to adapt to the environment and accept limitations that cannot be changed.
Thus, they can progress toward self-actualization.
2. Social Competence
Being able to learn appropriate social behaviors such as sharing and communicating.
Being able to reduce social isolation.
Learning how friendships are formed and developed.
Demonstrating good self-control and sportsmanship in situations of winning and losing.
Developing other skills necessary for success.
3. Motor Skills and Models
Learning basic motor skills such as running, catching, throwing, jumping, skipping, kicking a ball, and hopping in a mature form.
Becoming proficient in motor skills by participating in games, sports, dance, and water games.
Developing fine and gross motor coordination for play activities, self-care activities, and necessary activities at work and school.
4. Physical and Motor Fitness
Developing the cardiovascular system and maintaining ideal weight.
Increasing muscle strength, endurance, and flexibility.
Developing good posture habits.
5. Perceptual Motor Function and Sensory Integration
Developing visual, tactile, auditory, and kinesthetic (sense of movement) functions.
Developing academic learning through play and perceptual activities.
Ability to develop cognitive, language, and motor functions.
6. Leisure Skills
Ability to transform what is learned in physical education activities into lifelong sports, dance, and water skills habits.
Ability to recognize social resources for recreation (recreational sports).
Being able to expand one’s individual repertoire and refine skills in sports, dance, water, and group games.
7. Stress Relief
Being able to have fun, participate in recreational activities, and be happy. Being able to relieve stress under socially acceptable conditions. Being able to reduce hyperactivity and learn to relax.
Developing a positive attitude toward physical education.
Although there are many definitions of physical activity for people with disabilities (EFA) by various authors, it is generally defined as a field of physical education, sports, and movement sciences aimed at individuals who require adaptation to participate in physical activity (Doll-Tepper, 2007). EFA primarily encompasses individuals with disabilities, but it also applies to older adults, individuals with obesity, or individuals with various limitations in participating in activities for a variety of reasons (Sherrill, 2008).
From the perspective of sports science, EFA is defined as a field of research, theory, and practice aimed at individuals of all ages who lack the sufficient strength or resources to access physical activity opportunities and rights equally (Sherrill & Hutzler, 2008).
In our country, the concept used for physical education and sports for people with disabilities or physical activity for people with disabilities is referred to as “Adapted Physical Activity” or “Adapted Physical Education” in the international literature. The concept of adapted physical activity or adapted physical education first emerged in 1973 when the International Federation of Adapted Physical Activity was established by Canadian and Belgian scientists (Özer, 2011).
Sherrill defines adapted physical activity as coaching, training, or empowerment activities carried out by professionals to help all individuals with movement and social limitations achieve their physical activity goals (Sherrill, 2004).
“Therapeutic (therapy or therapeutic) recreation” is a widely used concept that primarily involves games, sports, and exercise, in addition to social and artistic activity groups for individuals with special needs. Therapeutic recreation aims to enable patients, the elderly, and people with disabilities to live more independently and meaningfully by eliminating, reducing, or adapting to their physical, mental, emotional, and social limitations and disadvantages through specially designed recreational activities that allow them to have fun, play, engage, compete, and experience happiness. Thus, a process is created to achieve or maximize purposeful efforts through a recreational experience (Karaküçük, 2012).
Sports therapy constitutes the superordinate component of concepts such as “adapted physical activity” or “adapted physical education,” “therapeutic recreation,” and “play,” which are found in the international literature on “physical education for people with disabilities” and “sports or physical activity for people with disabilities.” The fundamental characteristic of these activities is “movement.”
Individuals with special needs often experience difficulties participating in regular exercise, physical activity, or sports programs without any adaptations. In this regard, certain adaptations must be made to programs to enable individuals with special needs to participate in physical education and benefit from these educational activities (Schultheis, Boswell & Decker, 2000).
Adapted physical activity education programs have the same goals as regular education programs; however, they are programs that have been adapted in various ways to meet the abilities and needs of individuals with special needs (Block, 2007).
For example, basketball is a general activity, while wheelchair basketball is an adapted activity. Similarly, Goalball, designed for visually impaired individuals, is an adapted version of soccer. Ways to adapt the activity to suit the individual include: adjusting the speed of the activity to suit the individual, reducing the rules, using signals, limiting the area, and using activity cards. In addition, balloons, beach balls, sound balls, Velcro balls, targets, tennis balls, hoops, trampolines, hurdles, ropes, balance boards, and gymnastics boxes are among the tools that can be used to adapt the activity. Enjoy https://www.fakewatch. The smoky flavors of Texas-style barbecue ribs pair perfectly with cornbread (Özer, 2011).
Participation in such programs, which are designed according to individuals’ needs and developmental characteristics, makes significant contributions to their holistic development (Srinivasan et al., 2014; Movahedi, Bahrami, Marandi & Abedi, 2013; Sowa & Meulenbroek, 2012).
Examples of such education and programs include the Sherborne Developmental Movement Education and the Sports Education Project for Individuals with Autism. Within these example applications, it is possible to see a wide variety of sports, games, and exercises selected in accordance with scientific objectives, their application methods, and the qualities of the materials used.
Since 2008, the OSEP-Sports Education Project for Individuals with Autism, which has been carried out on a voluntary basis by the Recreation Department of the Faculty of Sports Sciences at Gazi University, in which university students and graduates actively participate on a voluntary basis, can be cited as an example of the programs mentioned above. This project has achieved significant positive results through sports, games, and exercise programs implemented for autistic individuals. These results have also been demonstrated in scientific studies (Karaküçük, 2012).
Sherborne developmental movement education is a technique that aims to build self-confidence and encourage individuals of all ages and with different characteristics to establish relationships with themselves and others through movements inherent in human nature. The most important advantage of this technique is that it provides individuals with a learning experience in an environment free of judgment and criticism, where everyone feels successful. The Sherborne developmental movement technique enriches teaching for educators at all levels and offers children the opportunity to discover themselves through movement. There are two main goals in Sherborne Developmental Movement: self-awareness and awareness of others. Self-awareness is gained through movement experiences that help individuals concentrate. Thus, instead of the normal perspective, the goal is to become aware of what is happening to one’s own body through touch, listening, and feeling internal physical sensations. This helps reduce self-criticism and enables individuals to develop respect and confidence in themselves on both a physical and emotional level. The next step is to begin learning to move and interact with others in a way that promotes greater confidence and positive relationships through awareness of others. These movement experiences encourage the individual to discover their own unique creativity through collaborative creative activities while providing appropriate support.
The underlying philosophy of Sherborne education is as follows.
It is success-based because, by its very nature, how the activity is performed (the manner of doing) is not important.
It covers all skill areas, starting at the lowest level (differentiated).
Activities are arranged from simple to difficult.
It provides a positive experience.
It is a shared experience, and everyone in the group is equal, thus contributing to the development of positive self-esteem.
It is individual-centered and non-authoritarian; ideas are taken from individuals and developed within the group, thus allowing for flexibility.
It encourages creativity.
It develops confidence in oneself and others (https://www.sherbornemovementuk.org/).
Sherborne education is a good example of sports therapy. Particularly in sports education projects for autistic individuals that incorporate Sherborne movement education, very good results have been achieved. For this reason, it is important to include Sherborne movement training in sports therapy programs for autistic individuals.
KAYNAKÇA
Block, M. E. (2007). Engelli öğrencileri normal beden eğitimine dahil etmek için öğretmen kılavuzu (3. baskı). Baltimore: Paul H. Brookes Publishing.
Doll-Tepper, G. (2007). Engelli Kişiler için Spor Alanında Uluslararası Gelişmeler. Sobama Dergisi. 12(1):7-12. Sherrill, C. ve Hutzler, Y. (2008). Uyarlanmış Beden Eğitimi Bilimi. Borms, J. (Ed.) Spor Bilimi Rehberi. 5. baskı. 90-103.
Karaküçük, S. (2012). Terapatik Rekreasyon-Bir Örnek Uygulama: Osep (Otistik Bireyler Spor Eğitim Projesi), Gazi Kitabevi, Ankara.
Fulcher, G. Engelleyici Politikalar? Eğitim Politikası ve Engelliliğe Karşı Karşılaştırmalı Bir Yaklaşım, Engellilik, Handikap ve Yaşam Şansları Serisi, The Falmer Press, s. 22
Movahedi, A., Bahrami, F., Marandi, S. M., & Abedi, A. (2013). Uzun süreli Kata teknikleri eğitiminin otizm spektrum bozukluğu olan çocukların sosyal işlev bozukluklarında iyileşme sağlama etkisi. Otizm Spektrum Bozuklukları Araştırmaları, 7(9), 1054-1061. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.rasd.2013.04.012
Özer, S. D. (2011), Engelliler İçin Beden Eğitimi ve Spor, (4. Baskı) Ankara: Nobel Yayınları.
Öztürk, M. (2011). Türkiye’de Engelli Gerçeği. 07 Ağustos 2013 tarihinde http://emusiad.org/img/arastirmalaryayin/pdf/turkiyede%20engelli%20gercegi. pdf sitesinden alınmıştır, İstanbul, MÜSİAD Yayınları.
Schultheis, S. F., Boswell, B. B., & Decker, J. (2000). Otizmli öğrenciler için başarılı fiziksel aktivite programları. Otizm ve Diğer Gelişimsel Engellere Odaklanma, 15(3), 159-162. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/108835760001500306
Sherrill,C., Ruda, L.: Zihinsel Engelli Yetişkinlerin Boş Zaman İlgi Alanları ve Uygulamaları, Parklar ve Rekreasyonlar,12 (11), 30-33, 1988.
Sherrill, C. (2004). Uyarlanmış fiziksel aktivite, rekreasyon ve spor. New York: McGraw-Hill.
Sherrill, C. (2007). Bilimin Tutkusu: Uyarlanmış Fiziksel Aktivitede Araştırma ve Yaratıcılık. Sobama Dergisi. 12(1): 1-5.
Sherrill, C., & Hutzler, Y. (2008). Uyarlanmış Fiziksel Aktivite Bilimi. Borms, J. (Ed.) Spor Bilimi Rehberi. 5. baskı. 90-103.
Sowa, M., & Meulenbroek, R. (2012). Fiziksel egzersizin otizm spektrum bozuklukları üzerindeki etkileri: Bir meta analiz. Otizm Spektrum Bozuklukları Araştırması, 6(1), 46-57. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.rasd.2011.09.001
Srinivasan, S. M., Pescatello, L. S., & Bhat, A. N. (2014). Otizm spektrum bozukluğu olan çocuk ve ergenler için fiziksel aktivite ve egzersiz önerileri üzerine güncel bakış açıları. Fizik Tedavi, 94(6), 1-46. http://dx.doi.org/10.2522/ptj.20130157
Şahin, H. (2004), Engellilik Kimin Sorunu? Bireyin mi, Toplumun mu? , T.C. Başbakanlık Özürlüler İdaresi Başkanlığı Yayınları, Öz-veri Dergisi, Eylül 2004, Cilt 1,(1), s. 49
WHO, (1994). Toplum Temelli Rehabilitasyon ve Sağlık Hizmetleri Yönlendirme Hizmetleri Program Yöneticileri için Rehber Rehabilitasyon.
https://apens.org
https://ifapa.net