Effects of Structured Physical Activity Breaks and Free Play in Children With Mild Intellectual Disability

Summary

Children with mild intellectual disability (MID) typically exhibit delays in both intellectual and adaptive functioning, with the onset occurring during the developmental period.

These children often learn new information and skills at a slower pace compared to their peers and frequently struggle academically. Structured physical activity breaks (SPAB) in the classroom are short, planned periods of physical exercise integrated into the school day to enhance children's physical fitness and behavioral outcomes. Free play (FP) in which children may choose and engage in activities at their own pace, establishing creativity, social engagement, and self-regulation. Study includes 22 participants and divided into 2 groups, one group receiving (SPAB) and the other group participating in free play (FP). The physical activity breaks, lasting between 5 to 30 minutes. SPAB group will engage in a sequence of activities. These activities will start with a 5-minute stretch, followed by 5 minutes of marching in place, 30 seconds of jumping an invisible rope, 30 seconds of flapping arms like a bird, 5 minutes of mirroring each other's actions and guessing, 5 minutes of hopping on one foot or jumping on both feet, drawing on the board, guessing the color, and making a circle to play a game in class. In comparison, the FP group will have access to various activity stations within the classroom, allowing children to choose their activities within a 30-minute time frame. The intervention will be implemented 5-days a week for a total of 8-weeks. Gross Motor Development-2 (TGMD-2) use for assessing gross motor skills, the 6-minute walk test use for measuring functional capacity of endurance, and the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) use for evaluating behavior. Data analysis will be conducted using SPSS version 27.

Conditions

• Intellectual Disability, Mild

Interventions

OTHER

Structured physical activity break

The structured physical activity breaks in classroom will include 5-30 minutes physical activities sequenced as: Week 1,4,7: 5-mintue stretch break, 5-minute marching in place, 30-sec jumping an invisible rope, 30-sec Flap arms like a bird, 5-minute mirror each other's actions and guess, 5-minute hop on one foot/ jump on both feet, draw on board, guess the color, make a circle and play a game of throw a ball in class. Week 2,5,8: 5-minute stretch break, 2-3 laps throughout the classroom, jumping in and out a circle on command, rock-paper-scissors-jump, paint or sketch on book, guess the animal, up-down-stop-go opposites, make a circle and play a game of throw a ball and clap in class. Week 3,6: 5-minute stretch break, 30-sec balance on one foot, 30-sec hopping, 5-jumping jacks, 5-claps turn around and guess the shape, play a game on board or notebook, make a circle and play a game of throw a ball and jump in class.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Riphah International University

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Maria Amjad, MSPT(Peads) · Riphah International University

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

DOUBLE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

7 Years

Max Age

10 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2025-04-17

Primary Completion

2025-09-17

Completion

2025-10-01

Countries

• Pakistan

Study Locations