Body Awareness Training for Motor Skills and Activity Performance in Children With Intellectual Disabilities

Summary

We tested whether adding a simple, structured Body Awareness Training (BAT) program to conventional physiotherapy improves motor skills, everyday activity performance, and participation (goal achievement and satisfaction) in children with mild to moderate intellectual disability.41 children aged 8-15 years with mild or moderate intellectual disability completed the study. They were randomly assigned to receive either standard physiotherapy (control) or the same physiotherapy plus Body Awareness Training (intervention).All children received conventional physiotherapy three times per week for six weeks (18 sessions total). The physiotherapy included warm-up, range-of-motion, stretching, strengthening exercises and electrotherapy. The intervention group received an additional 30 minutes per session of Body Awareness Training during the same period. BAT activities were simple, rhythmic, and child-friendly. Both groups improved in some fine motor domains, but improvements were larger in the group that received Body Awareness Training. The BAT group showed additional significant gains in manual dexterity, balance, and running speed/agility that were not observed in the control group. Children in the BAT group reported greater improvements in everyday activity performance and higher satisfaction. The BAT group also achieved better outcomes on individualized functional goals (GAS) for several prioritized activities.

Most improvements were maintained at the 10-week follow-up. Adding short, structured Body Awareness Training to routine physiotherapy may provide extra benefits for motor coordination, balance, and meaningful everyday functioning in children with mild-moderate intellectual disability.

BAT exercises are low-cost, adaptable, and can be integrated into regular therapy sessions; they may help bridge improvements in motor skills to better performance and participation in daily life. Clinicians should individualize intensity and progression according to each child's abilities and stop or adapt activities if pain, excessive fatigue, or breathlessness occurs.

Conditions

• Intellectual Disability, Mild to Moderate

Interventions

OTHER

Body Awareness Training and Conventional Physiotherapy

This intervention combines a 60-minute conventional physiotherapy protocol (range of motion, stretching, strengthening, and electrotherapy) with a 30-minute structured Body Awareness Training (BAT) module. The BAT component consists of six specific elements: body scanning in the supine position, rhythmic opening/closing coordination exercises, tactile "catwalk" massage for skin-brain connection, standing body alignment practice focused on the vertical midline, weight-transfer activities within stability limits, and breathing-wave integration. The total session duration is 90 minutes, delivered three times per week for six weeks (18 sessions), and is individualized based on the participant's functional capacity and clinical tolerance.

OTHER

Conventional Physiotherapy

This intervention consists of a 60-minute individualized physiotherapy program including active and active-assisted range of motion (ROM) exercises, static stretching of major muscle groups (held for 20-30 seconds), and functional strengthening exercises (e.g., glute bridges, mini-squats, and step-ups). Electrotherapy is applied as needed for muscle activation or circulatory support. The protocol is delivered three times per week for six weeks (18 sessions total), with exercises progressed from 1 set of 8-10 repetitions to 2 sets of 10-15 repetitions based on the child's performance and fatigue levels.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Cyprus International University

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Mehmet Miçooğulları, Prof. Dr. · Cyprus International University

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

SINGLE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

8 Years

Max Age

15 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2025-08-04

Primary Completion

2025-12-24

Completion

2025-12-24

Countries

• Turkey (Türkiye)

Study Locations