Author:

Keywords:

Science & Technology, Life Sciences & Biomedicine, Rehabilitation, Sport Sciences, Paralympics, classification, evidence-based practice, intellectual impairment, cognitive abilities, PHYSICAL-ACTIVITY, EXPERTISE, SPORT, ABILITIES, PROFILE, SKILLS, Adult, Athletic Performance, Decision Making, Executive Function, Female, Humans, Intellectual Disability, Male, Memory, Neuropsychological Tests, Reaction Time, Spatial Processing, Sports, 1106 Human Movement and Sports Sciences, 1701 Psychology, 4207 Sports science and exercise, 5201 Applied and developmental psychology

Abstract:

Evidence-based classification systems in Paralympic sport require knowledge of the underlying effect of impairment in a specific sport. This study investigated the relationship between cognition and tactical proficiency in 88 well-trained table tennis players with intellectual disability (ID; 29 women, 59 men, M ± SD IQ 59.9 ± 9.6). Data were collected at 3 competitions sanctioned by the International Federation for Para-Athletes with Intellectual Disabilities (INAS). A generic cognitive test consisting of 8 neuropsychological subtests was used to assess cognitive abilities relevant to sport (reaction time, processing speed, and decision speed; spatial visualization; fluid reasoning; memory; executive functioning; and visual processing). The backward stepwise-regression analysis model revealed that 18% of the variance in tactical proficiency was attributed to spatial visualization and simple reaction time. Applications of these findings resulted in an evidence-based classification system that led to the reinclusion of athletes with ID in Paralympic table tennis and provide the basis for future research in this important area.