1. Introduction & Purpose
Physical Activity Patterns of Ambulatory Children with Disabilities in the School Environment
Lindsay Waxman SPT, Charli Crone SPT, Brenda Pratt PT DSc, PCS
Department of
Physical Therapy and
Health Sciences
Introduction & Purpose
Results
In Healthy People 2020, the promotion of increased physical activity in children is a priority for the improvement of health for all American children. At least 60 minutes of physical activity is the recommended guideline for children. Children with intellectual and/or physical disabilities usually have lower daily physical activity levels when compared with children with typical development.
The purpose of this study was to describe the physical activity patterns of ambulatory children with disability during discrete segments of the school day.
Mean Steps per School Day
Mean Activity Level – Minutes
Methods
Research Design:
Cross-sectional design
Setting:
Public elementary school in Illinois
Inclusion Criteria:
Children between the ages of 3 and 12 with a disability who ambulated without an assistive device
Participants:
Six participants, three males and three females, with a disability between the ages of 3 and 12. Participant 2 had a physical disability. Participants 1, 3, 5, 7 and 8 had physical and learning disabilities.
Educational placement:
Special education classroom exclusively: Participants 1, 5, and 8
General education classroom exclusively: Participants 2 and 3
General & Special education classrooms: Participant 7
Data Collection:
Data collection: Five school days (Monday through Friday)
Measurements:
StepWatch Activity Monitor measured total steps and intensity of physical activity.
Low activity (1-15 steps/minute)
Medium activity (16-40 steps/minute)
High activity (>40 steps/minute)
Time Active/Inactive
School environmental attributes influencing physical activity patterns measured by behavior mapping.
Data Analysis:
Descriptive statistics were used for StepWatch data: step count, identification of low, medium, and high intensity activities. Behavioral mapping was used to link school day segments with physical activity patterns during the school day.
Link between school environment and physical activity:
The majority of inactivity and low physical activity occurred in the classroom for all participants. Participant 5 had two episodes of medium physical activity in a large classroom.
The majority of medium and high physical activity occurred during active transport between different sites within the school, recess, physical education class, occupational therapy and physical therapy. The frequency and duration of these school activities varied between participants.
Discussion
The children in this study were not achieving the recommended daily amount of physical activity while at school; however, physical activity beyond school hours was not measured. The physical activity patterns during school appeared to be the result of the interaction between each participant’s intrinsic characteristics and the extrinsic factors of the school environment. These extrinsic factors could be modified to increase the amount and intensity of the physical activity of these children. The results of this study may guide the clinical practice and research of educational and health professions.
Key:
 Positive Influence
 Negative Influence
Unclear or opposing
influence
Factors Affecting Physical Activity
Intrinsic Characteristics
Extrinsic Factors
Behavioral habits 
Motivation to participate 
Age and gender 
Greater physical challenges 
School/classroom design 
Class schedule 
Adult to child ratio 
Needs of classmates 
PT/OT/SLP/PE 
School/classroom culture 
Weather (rain) 