Effect of Training on the Balance and Coordination of the Mentally Retarded Children

Abstract

Background: The present research aims to consider the effects of a training on the static and dynamic balance and coordination of the educable mentally retarded children.Method: In this semi-experimental study, 24 individuals were selected from amongst educable mentally retarded boy students with the calendar age of 6-9 years old who did not have any special illness and motion restriction. The participants were randomly divided into two identical control (n: 12) and experiment (n: 12) groups. The selected exercise program was performed for 8 weeks including three 60-minute sessions for each week. The subscales of the balance and coordination of the Lincoln-Oseretsky test were used to evaluate the participants’ balance and coordination in the pretest and posttest.Results: The results showed that there was no significant difference between the two groups of control and experiment in pretest; whereas, a significant difference was observed in the static balance, dynamic balance and coordination between the pretest and posttest scores in the experiment group. The effect of Brailletonik training on balance and coordination was confirmed.Conclusion: According to the findings, it seems that Brailletonik training can be a suitable intervention to improve the motor elements in retarded children.