A new study from Special Olympics was published in the American Journal on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities titled, Functional Limitations Reported Among U.S. Adults With Intellectual Disability Participating in Special Olympics: A Comparative Analysis to the General Population.
The study represents an important step toward understanding the functional abilities and support needs of Special Olympics athletes and how Special Olympics can contribute to improving disability data and advancing health equity for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD).
Key findings include:
- Special Olympics athletes are a diverse population, reporting a wide range of functional abilities and support needs across communication, cognition, self-care, mobility, hearing, and vision.
- The most commonly reported functional limitations involved communication, cognition, and self-care.
- The prevalence of functional limitations varied considerably depending on whether a broad or restrictive definition was used. Athletes whose surveys were completed by a proxy, such as a family member, friend, or coach, reported higher levels of functional limitation across several domains than athletes who completed the survey themselves.
- Although functional limitations are often associated with older age, the study found meaningful levels of functional limitation among this relatively young group of athletes.
This study is part of a broader effort to ensure people with IDD are represented in health data systems so their needs, experiences, and disparities are better understood.
Read the full paper here.
