Sports participation of children with Down syndrome

Participation in sports has numerous benefits for children, including socialization, discipline, and physical fitness. This is no less true for children with disabilities including Down syndrome. Before participation in sports, however, several questions need to be answered: (1) Is the child ready to participate? (2) What type of sport is appropriate? And (3) What are the advantages/disadvantages of specific sports? Motor skill development, social development, and cognitive level need to be considered. Children with and without disabilities follow similar sequences in motor skill acquisition [1]. No specific guidelines are available for normal or disabled children to determine readiness for sports participation. The American Academy of Pediatrics [2] classifies sports as contact or noncontact. Contact sports involve collision (boxing, football, wrestling) or impact (basketball, diving, gymnastics). Noncontact sports are strenuous (aerobics, crew, swimming), moderately strenuous (badminton, table tennis), or nonstrenuous (archery, golf, riflery). A child's disability plays a significant role in decision making, but specific guidelines are few. It would seem that, in general, children with disabilities, including Down syndrome, should avoid collision sports. Beneficial effects of sports include improvements in stamina, muscle strength and endurance, speed, agility, flexibility, and weight control [3]. All may be beneficial for children with disabilities, including Down syndrome.