Sports for Children With Special

Need
Table of Contents
 Sports For CWSN
 Organizations Promoting Disability Sports
 Special Olympics:
 Paralympics
 Deaflympics
 Concept of Classification and Divisioning in Sports
 Concept of Inclusion in Sports, its Need and Implementations
 Advantages of Physical Activities for children with special needs
 Strategies To Make Physical Activities Accessible For Children With Special
Needs

Sports for cwsn and normal children, both are equally important. More or less
every child needs to participate in sports and games for proper growth and
development.

Special needs children are generally not encouraged to take part in sports.
Whereas participating in sports can help boost their self-confidence and
relationship-building. It can also improve their fitness levels and skill.

Many children with disabilities do not have equal access to Health Care,
Education, and employment opportunities.

Nowadays sports for disabled children are organized officially. Physical education
and sports provide ample opportunity to disabled children to lead a fruitful and
energetic life.

Organizations Promoting Disability

Sports
(Special Olympics; Paralympics; Deaflympics)

Special Olympics:
The Special Olympics was founded by Eunice Kennedy Shriver in 1968. The
mission of the Special Olympics is to provide year-round sports training and
athletic competition in a variety of Olympic-type sports for children and adults
with intellectual disabilities.

It provides opportunities for athletes to develop their physical fitness, experience

the joy of sportsmanship and participate in sharing gifts, skills, and friendships
with their families, other Special Olympics athletes, and the community.

The Special Olympics’ mission remains as vital today as it was when the
movement was founded. Intellectual Disability (or ID) is a term used when a
person has certain limitations in cognitive functioning and skills, including
communication, social and self-care skills.

These limitations cause a child to develop and learn slowly or differently than a
typically developing child.

According to the American Association of Intellectual and Developmental

Disabilities, an individual has an intellectual disability if they fall under the
following category.

1. IQ is below 70-75.

2. There are significant limitations in two or more adaptive areas (skills that are
needed to live, work and play in the community, such as communication or self-
care).

3. The condition manifests itself before the age of 18.

Through sports, people with intellectual disabilities discover new strengths and
abilities, skills and success. There are as many as 200 million people with
intellectual disabilities around the world.

Special Olympics reaches out to these individuals through a wide range of

training, competitions, health screenings, and fundraising events. These Games
also allow people to change their attitudes and support athletes.
Sports instill confidence, improve health, and inspire a sense of competition. In
the Special Olympics, the focus is on what these individuals are capable of so the
attention shifts from disability to ability.

Over 30 Olympic-style sports, from gymnastics to soccer to open-water swimming

are a part of these Games. These include athletics, badminton, basketball’ cricket,
horse riding, hockey

A total of 1,258 Special Olympics Bharat athletes participated in nine World

Summer Games and six World Winter Games between 1987 and 2019.

They have won 444 gold, 508 silver, and 552 bronze medals in the world summer
and world winter games winning a total of 1,504 medals.

Today, the Special Olympics supports over 5 million athletes, 1 million coaches
and volunteers, over one lakh (1,00,000) tournaments each year, and 32
Olympic-type sports through various programs in more than 170 countries.

Paralympics

Paralympics are international multi-sport events that were initiated for athletes
with disabilities like amputations, blindness and cerebral palsy. Now they are held
every four years.

History: The Paralympics developed after Sir Ludwig Guttmann organized a

sports competition for British World War II veterans with spinal cord injuries in
England in 1948.

A follow-up competition took place in 1952, with athletes from the Netherlands
joining British competitors. These games were first held in Rome in 1960.

The term Paralympics was officially used only in 1988 during the games held in
Seoul, South Korea. This was a summer Paralympics. The winter version of these
games was first held in Sweden in 1976.

Categories: Paralympics athletes compete in six different disability groups—

amputee, cerebral palsy, visual impairment, spinal cord injuries, intellectual
disability, and “les autres” (athletes whose disability does not fit into one of the
other categories, including dwarfism).
Opening Ceremony: Like the regular Olympic Games, the Paralympics also start
with an opening ceremony where the host nation plays its national anthem and
hoists the nation’s flag.

Thereafter, there is a march passed by the participating countries. The formal

opening announcement of the games is followed by a cultural program as at the
regular Olympics.

Governing Body: These games are governed by the International Paralympics

Committee, which was set up in 1989 and is headquartered Bonn in Germany.

Events: This Paralympics organized events such as archery, basketball,

swimming, fencing, javelin, shot put, club throwing, snooker, swimming, table
tennis and the pentathlon. For more than a decade, Paralympics were held only
for summer sports.

As of 2016, the Summer Paralympics include 22 sports and 526 medal events,
and the Winter Paralympics include 6 sports and disciplines and will have 82
events for the 2022 Winter Paralympics in Beijing, China.

The Tokyo 2021 Paralympic Games featured the following 22 sports:

Archery, Athletics, Badminton, Boccia, Canoeing, Cycling, Equestrian, Football 5-a-

side, Goalball, Judo, Powerlifting, Rowing, Shooting, Sitting Volleyball,

Swimming, Table Tennis, Taekwondo, Triathlon, Wheelchair Basketball,

Wheelchair Fencing, Wheelchair Rugby, and Wheelchair Tennis.

The last Summer Paralympics were held in September 2016 in Rio de Janeiro,
Brazil, and Winter Paralympics were held in March 2018, in Pyeongchang, South
Korea.

Deaflympics
The Deaflympics (previously called World Games for the Deaf and International
Games for the Deaf) are an IOC-recognised event at which deaf athletes compete
at an elite level. It was in 2001 that these games were renamed Deaflympics.

Deaflympics where deaf athletes strive to reach the pinnacle of competition by

embracing the motto of ‘PER LUDOS AEQUALITAS’ (Equality through sport) and
adhering to the ideals of the Olympics.

History: The first games, known as the International Silent Games, were held in
1924 in Paris with athletes from nine European nations participating in it.

The games were the brainchild of Eugene RubensAlcais, himself deaf, and
President of the French Deaf Sports Federation.

In 1924 Summer Deaflympics were held in Paris, France, from 10 to 17 August, as

an equivalent to the Olympic Games for deaf athletes. This was the first
international sporting event held for athletes with a disability. The athletes
excelled in road cycling, diving, football, shooting, swimming, and tennis,

In 1996, the name was changed to ‘World Games for the Deaf’, and then again in
2001 to ‘Deaflympics.’ The games are held every two years and alternate
between Summer and winter games.

The most recent Deaflympics were held in July 2017, which were hosted by
Turkey. A total of 3148 athletes from 97 countries competed in 18 sports with 21
disciplines in these games.

Winter Deaflympics was instituted in 1949 at Seefeld, Austria. The 2015 Winter
Deaflympics were hosted by Russia with 336 participating athletes from 27
countries.

Rules: To qualify for the games, athletes must have a hearing loss of at least 55
dB in one ear. The use of hearing aids and cochlear implants is not allowed during
the competition, in order to create a level playing field.

The athletes in the Deaflympics also have a greater age range than the Olympic
athletes — the oldest medallist in the history of the games was nearly 76 years
old and the youngest medallist was 12.

The Deaflympics referees don’t use whistles; instead, they use flags. On the track,
races are started by light rather than the sound of a pistol.

In addition, spectators watching the games often wave their hands to cheer their
athletes. All of the events are played the same way as at the Olympics.
The rules for playing each sport are not altered in any way for deaf participants.
This fact distinguishes deaf sports from sports played by other groups of people
with disabilities.

Features: Deaf people are not disabled in any manner except communication—
and this is only a disability when a deaf person is in a situation where hearing and
speech are the primary means of communication.

Deaf people are a culturally distinct minority group. The Deaflympics are the
second oldest multi-sport Olympic event.

Logo: The Deaflympics logo is inspired by the Olympics logo. The circle in the
middle represents an eye because deaf people are very visual.

The four colors of the logo—red, green, yellow, and blue represent the four
regional confederations of the International Committee of Sports for the Deaf—
Europe, Asia-Pacific, Pan-America, and Africa.

The Deaflympics logo, designed in 2003 by graphic design artist Ralph Fernandez,
is a positive and powerful symbol of the international deaf sports community.

It ties together strong elements: Sign language, deaf and international cultures,
unity, and continuity.

The hand shapes, “ok good”, and “great” that overlap each other in a circle,
represent the Original sign for “Deaflympics”. Together, the hand shapes
represent the sign for “united”.

The center of the logo represents the iris of the eye, which defines deaf people as
visual people who must use their eyes to communicate.

The logo incorporates the four colors of the national flags of the world. The red,
blue, yellow, and green represent the four regional confederations

— the Asia Pacific Deaf Sports Confederation,

— the European Deaf Sports Organization, — the Pan American Deaf Sports
Organization

— the Confederation of African Deaf Sports.

Concept of Classification in Sports

In the world of sports, classification and divisioning play a vital role in ensuring
fair and competitive participation for athletes of all abilities.

Classification refers to the process of grouping athletes based on their functional

abilities, impairments, or characteristics, rather than their skill level. This ensures
that individuals with similar conditions compete against each other, creating a
level playing field.

The goal of classification is to promote inclusivity and fairness, allowing athletes

with disabilities or different abilities to participate and excel in their respective
sports.

Divisioning, on the other hand, involves categorizing athletes into specific

divisions or classes based on their classification. This ensures that competitions
are structured in a way that accommodates various levels of abilities.

For example, in Paralympic sports, athletes are classified according to their

impairment, such as physical, visual, or intellectual, and placed into relevant
divisions. This system helps create exciting and engaging competitions for both
athletes and spectators.

Classification and divisioning not only promote fairness but also provide
opportunities for athletes to challenge themselves and showcase their skills within
their respective categories.

The process of classification and division involves experts, medical professionals,

and governing bodies who work together to assess and categorize athletes based
on established criteria.

It is crucial for sports organizations to regularly review and update the

classification systems to ensure they remain accurate and reflective of the
athletes’ abilities.

In conclusion, classification and division are essential elements in sports, fostering

a spirit of inclusivity and creating a platform for athletes to compete at their best
regardless of their abilities.

Concept of Inclusion in Sports, its

Need and Implementations
Inclusion in sports refers to the practice of creating an environment where
everyone, regardless of their abilities, gender, race, or background, can
participate and feel welcome.
This concept is essential to ensure that all individuals have equal opportunities to
engage in sports and experience the numerous physical, emotional, and social
benefits that come with it.

The Need for Inclusion in Sports:

Promoting Diversity: Inclusion fosters diversity in sports, allowing individuals

from various backgrounds to come together and celebrate their differences. This
enriches the sporting community and breaks down barriers between cultures.

Empowering Individuals: Embracing inclusion empowers individuals with

disabilities or those facing socio-economic challenges to participate actively in
sports. It boosts their self-esteem and encourages them to pursue their passions.

Breaking Stereotypes: Inclusion helps challenge stereotypes associated with

certain sports or genders, proving that anyone can excel in any discipline if given
the opportunity and support.

Implementations for Inclusion in Sports:

Accessible Facilities: Providing accessible infrastructure and equipment

ensures that people with disabilities can participate comfortably. This includes
ramps, adaptive sports equipment, and wheelchair-friendly spaces.

Training and Education: Coaches, referees, and volunteers should undergo

training to understand the needs of diverse athletes and create an inclusive
atmosphere. This includes learning about adaptive techniques and fostering
sensitivity.

Inclusive Policies: Sports organizations must adopt inclusive policies that

address discrimination, harassment, and unequal treatment, while actively
promoting diversity in all aspects of the game.

Supportive Programs: Creating outreach programs and scholarships for

underprivileged individuals can make sports more accessible to them and provide
opportunities they might not otherwise have.

Advantages of Physical Activities

for children with special needs
Reduce depression:
Physical activities may help in reducing the level of depression of children with
disabilities. It also reduces their anxiety, and stress levels.

Improve social interaction:

Physical activities provide children with ample opportunities for social interaction.
Their social relations improve during their involvement in physical activities. Many
sports activities lead to increased social integration, bonding, and friendship.

Enhance emotional and psychological health:

Physical activities improve continues psychological and emotional health.

Cognitive benefits:

Physical activities lead to cognitive skills such as thinking, reasoning, or

remembering. It allows them to discover and access strengths that cannot be
challenged in the classroom setting.

Fun activities

Physical activities lead to mood benefits. They enjoy social interaction with both
fitness staff and other participants.

Increased fitness levels

By doing regular physical activities children improve their muscle strength,

coordination, and flexibility. It also enhances better balance, motor skills and body
awareness.

Improve health quality

Children have many positive changes in their health that boost their self-esteem.
They get a sense of accomplishment and possibly the taste of winning or personal
satisfaction. It will also increase their appetite and improve the quality of sleep.

Improve responses

Regular physical activities increases in attention span, on-task behavior, and level
of correct responding.

Decreases secondary health issues

Regular physical activities decrease secondary health complications like obesity,
high blood pressure, low HDL cholesterol, and diabetes.

Strategies To Make Physical

Activities Accessible For Children
With Special Needs
Strategies to Make Physical Activities Accessible to Children With Special Needs

Education is a basic right that we use to improve children with disabilities ranging
from mental disabilities to hearing impairment, visual handicap, or speech
impairment. Focus on making these special needs a part of a productive society is
a worthy aim.

We need to plan for activities keeping in mind the interest and abilities of these
children. Over a period of time, we have developed special programs labeled
“Adapted physical education” (APE).

APE is physical education that is individualized and specially designed to address

the needs of students with disabilities who require adaptations or modifications to
be physically active, participate safely, and make progress.

Some considerations are as follows:

1. Health Check-ups: Regular and detailed medical assessment of all special

needs children is a must. Specialized assessment of the child helps us focus
on the disability and appropriate activity recommended for such children.
2. Individual Needs: Assessment of each child needs to be done so that a
specific customized adapted program is made for them. Teachers should be
sensitive to each child’s interests, limitations, and aptitude. The activity
should be designed keeping all this in mind.
3. Specialized Equipment: The size, weight, shape, and color of the playing
equipment also has to be customized. Visually handicapped children need
brightly coloured equipment while those with weak muscles need a lighter
design of equipment.
4. Playing Environment: Playing areas need to be modified. The size of the
playfield may need to be decreased or more lights and louder music and
provision of handrails, etc.
5. Playing Rules: These also have to be changed suitably. Playing rules should
be easier and more flexible. As the skills improve, the rules can be regulated
accordingly. Past performance and existing skills should also be considered
while making rules for such children.
 6. Training of Educators: It is of vital importance. All instructors should undergo
specialized training to handle special needs children. Understanding of
specific disabilities has to be there for the trainers to be effective. Adapted
physical education ideas must be ingrained
7. Safety Supervision: Trained medical supervision is desirable.
8. Activities according to individual’s abilities: Design specific activities
according to their abilities. Physical Activities must be based on their
interest
9. Specific environment: This should be provided to them. Activities designed
for them must be encouraging them to participate freely.
10. Encouragement: Encouragement from spectators irrespective of their
errors.
11. Previous Experience: Children’s previous experience must be taken
into consideration

Concept of Disability and Disorders

Disability

Disability is an impairment that may be cognitive, developmental, intellectual,

mental, physical, sensory, or some combination of these.

It is a functional limitation or restriction of an individual’s ability to perform an

activity. It means disability creates obstruction in the normal function or
movement of an individual. It limits and restricts the activity of a person.
Types of Disability

Some individuals are disabled right at birth, others get disabled due to some
incidence during the course of their lives. Some disabilities are as follows:

Types of Disability
♿ Physical Disability
It is a limitation of individuals’ physical functioning which may be related to the
upper or lower body. These are generally related to musculoskeletal, circulatory,
respiratory, and nervous systems.
Disability in mobility can be either inborn or acquired with age.

Sensory Disability
Sensory impairment is when one of the senses; sight, hearing, smell, touch, taste
is no longer normal.

⏩ Spinal cord disability: It can lead to lifelong disability. It generally occurs due to
severe accidents.

⏩ Brain Disability: This type of disability occurs due to brain injury from external
forces.

⏩ Vision Disability: This is related to vision problems that may be in-born or

happen afterward. Vision disability may be mild, moderate, severe, or blindness.

⏩ Hearing Disability: It includes people that are completely or partially deaf.

People who are partially deaf can use hearing aids. It can be evident at birth or
occur later in life.

Cognitive or Learning Disability:

It is a neurological disorder. It can affect an individual’s ability to read, speak and
write.

⏩ Memory Disorder: Individual who has auditory problems or difficulty in

remembering something.

⏩ Dyslexia: Individuals have difficulties in writing, reading, and speaking.

Intellectual Disability:
This disability is related to the limitations of intellectual functioning (such as
reasoning, learning) and Adaptive behavior ( such as social and practical skills).
 Disorder

The disorder is a problem that disrupts normal physical or mental functions. It is a

state of confusion that interrupts normal function.

It is an abnormality of physical and mental states like psychiatric disorders,

anxiety disorder, and personality disorder.

Disorder may be resulting from a genetic failure in development or from external

factors such as poison, trauma, or disease.

Types of Disorders

 ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder)

 SPD ( Sensory Processing Disorder)
 ASD ( Autism Spectrum Disorder)
 ODD ( Oppositional Defiant Disorder)
 OCD ( Obsessive Compulsive Disorder)
ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder)

It is a brain disorder that is characterized by problems paying attention, excessive

activity, or difficulty controlling behavior.

Individuals may have some problems focusing on activities. They may be

hyperactive or may be unable to control their impulses. It has three types

 Inattention: Children lack concentration in any work, difficulty sustaining focus

and unorganised.
 Hyperactivity: Children are unusually or abnormally active. They have impulsive
actions, a shorter attention span, and easily distracted.
 Impulsive: Impulsivity is the tendency to act without thinking about the
consequences.
Causes
 Genetic factors is one of the main cause
 Children with low birth weight
 When baby’s brain is damaged before or after birth
 Lack of discipline in the family
 Addiction to certain diet
 Exposure to toxic substances at the early age.
SPD ( Sensory Processing Disorder )

It is a condition in which the brain has difficulty in receiving and responding to

information that comes in through the senses.

It is some sort of neurological jam that prevents certain parts of the brain from
receiving the information required to interpret sensory information accurately.

Sensory processing disorder may affect our senses such as touch, sight, taste, or
movement. In this disorder, the person may scream when touched, or dive under
the table after hearing the sound.

In some cases, they remain unresponsive to anything around them. Even he may
fail to give a response to Extreme heat or cold for pain.

Causes

 Genetic factors is one of the main causes

 Low birth weight is another cause
 Excessive restrictions in early life
 Have differences in brain structure
ASD ( Autism Spectrum Disorder )

It includes a wide range and levels of disability. Individual ability to function in

society, at school, at work, or other areas of life gets hurt.

Some people are mildly impaired, while others are severely disabled. Early
treatment and proper care can reduce difficulties while helping them to learn new
skills and make the most of their strength.

People with an ASD often have these characteristics like:

Ongoing social problems include difficulty in communicating and interacting with

others, obsessive interests.

Repetitive behavior as well as Limited interest in activities.

Difficulties in language, social skills, and behavior

 Causes

 Biological or genetic factors: Something happens during fetal development.

Children may inherit problematic genes from parents.
 Environmental Factors: High levels of pollution and pesticides in food may also
be one of the reasons.
 Brain Development: Connection between the brain cells are not proper, which
may be another cause.
ODD ( Oppositional Defiant Disorder )

It is a condition in which a child displays an ongoing pattern of angry or irritable

mood, argumentative, hostile behavior directed towards authority.

Individuals behave like rebels, argue with adults, and refuse to obey any rules.
They exhibit angry outbursts and a hard time controlling their anger or
aggression.

They have difficulty in making friends and have low esteem. They have negativity
in their behavior.

Causes

 Biological or genetic causes: Children may develop ODD, if their parents have
a history of ADHD or ODD.
 Physical Factors: when an imbalance exists and messages are not
communicated properly with other parts of the brain, the symptoms may occur.
 Psychological Factors: Children may develop this if they have bad relationship
parents, neglectful parents.
 Social Factors: It may happen due to poverty, chaotic environment in the family
and exposed to violence
OCD ( Obsessive Compulsive Disorder )

It is a mental disorder where people feel the need to check things repeatedly or
have certain thoughts repeatedly.

They have fear of contamination of germs, getting dirty, making mistakes, being
embarrassed, etc.

They do some common activities which include repeated hand washing, repeated
counting, checking things over and over again, repeating certain words, and so
on.

Causes
 Serotonin which send messages in brain, sends improper messages from one part
of Brain to others, which may cause OCD

Disability Etiquettes

Talk Directly with the person with disabilityAlways shake hands with a person with
disability when introduced.

Identify yourself and others before conversing with visually-impaired.

Always ask before you help them

Address them by their first name

Don’t touch or lean on the wheelchair

Always listen to them carefully and attentively when you are having conversations
with a person who has difficulty speaking

Always give additional time

Always have a conversation with a normal tone of voice

Avoid asking personal questions

Inform before leaving

Don’t pretend to understand if you are facing a problem