The effects of exercise on the health, intelligence, and adaptive behavior of institutionalized severely and profoundly mentally retarded adults: A systematic replication

doi:10.1016/0270-3092(85)90021-9

Applied Research in Mental Retardation

Volume 6, Issue 4, 1985, Pages 465-473

https://doi.org/10.1016/0270-3092(85)90021-9 Get rights and content

Abstract

Institutionalized severely and profoundly mentally retarded adults participated in a 7-month program of rigorous aerobic-type exercises. The effects of the treatment on the physical fitness, intelligence, and behavior of subjects were assessed. Fifty men and women were matched in pairs based on IQ, CA, and sex and assigned randomly to an experimental (E) or control (C) group. Those in the E group met 3 hours per day, 5 days per week and received a treatment that consisted of an exercise program that included jogging, running, dance-aerobics, and circuit training. The C group continued their normal institutional training programs. The treatment produced significant improvement in the cardiovascular efficiency of subjects; however, no changes in intelligence or adaptive behavior were obtained. Although standardized tests reflected little improvement in psychological or behavioral variables due to treatment, subjective reports suggest that exercise training may serve as a more practical habilitation program for severely and profoundly mentally retarded individuals than those typically employed in institutional settings.

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The effects of exercise on the health, intelligence, and adaptive behavior of institutionalized severely and profoundly mentally retarded adults: A systematic replication

Abstract

Training of the developmentally handicapped young adult

Canadian Journal of Applied Sport Sciences

An experimental study of physical fitness of air force personnel

U.S. Armed Forces Medical Journal

The effect of an isometric strength program on the intellectual and social development of trainable retarded males

American Corrective Therapy Journal

Effects of physical education on the intellectual, physical, and social development of educable mentally retarded boys

Exceptional Children

Physical fitness training and mental health

American Psychologist

Physical education training for adult retardates in a sheltered workshop setting

Journal of Clinical Psychology

The effect of a physical fitness development program on self-concept, mental age, and job proficiency in the mentally retarded: A pilot study in corrective therapy

Journal of the Association of Physical and Mental Rehabilitation

Physical fitness and the mentally retarded: A critical review of the literature

The Journal of Special Education