A Resistance Training Intervention for Adults With Intellectual Disability in the Community: A Pilot Randomized Clinical Trial.

Adults with an intellectual disability have significantly lower levels of fitness compared with the general population. This study examined the effects of a 13-week theoretically guided, community-based, multicomponent resistance training intervention, resistance training for empowerment, on muscular strength and independent functional performance in 24 adults with an intellectual disability, aged 18-44 years. Twelve participants were randomly allocated to an experimental group and 12 to an active control group. An analysis of covariance revealed that the experimental group had significantly greater increases (p < .05) on the chest press and leg press one-repetition maximum tests and the 6-min walk test from the baseline to postintervention compared with the control group. The experimental group correctly and independently performed a significantly greater number of steps of resistance training exercise tasks than the control group. Marginal significance and large effect sizes were found for the prone plank test and the stair climb test. The resistance training for empowerment was effective in promoting muscular strength and independent functional performance among adults with an intellectual disability.

The Effect of Systematic Prompting on the Acquisition of Two Muscle-Strengthening Exercises by Adults with Moderate Disabilities.

Musculoskeletal fitness is important for adults with intellectual disabilities (ID) to maintain cardiovascular fitness, functional independence, and work task performance, and to reduce the risk of chronic diseases and other disabilities. However, adults with ID typically have significantly lower musculoskeletal fitness compared with their peers without a disability. Appropriate instructional strategies are needed to facilitate their acquisition and maintenance of musculoskeletal fitness. In this study, three adults with moderate ID, aged 19-20 years, were selected to evaluate the effects of a multi-component treatment package that included a video-enhanced system of least-to-most prompts (LMP) on their acquisition of two muscle-strengthening machine exercises. Results from a multiple-baseline-across-participants single-subject design show substantive gains in correct and independent performance of steps in the two exercises during the treatment condition. The improved performance in both exercises was maintained one week and two weeks after the last treatment session and appeared to have extended to a large fitness room. The study suggests that use of the video-enhanced system of LMP as an additional or alternate type of instruction can lead to improved acquisition and maintenance of muscle-strengthening exercises by young adults with moderate ID.