The purpose of the master's thesis was to present children with special needs, the importance of their involvement in sports and society at large, as well as the Special Olympics, and to develop a 10-hour preparation program for the Special Olympics with the focus on ball games. All three programs include different elementary games and motoric tasks which allow children with different mental disabilities to develop and maintain physical abilities, as well as to learn and maintain individual football, handball and volleyball elements. All this combined will also contribute to improving physical fitness. With the programs we have developed we aim to encourage greater performance of these activities which not only result in better psycho-physical well-being of children but also strengthen their self-confidence, enable them to form friendly relationships and gain social skills. If we are to truly respect and accept the special needs of a child in terms of motoric, emotional, social and intellectual perspectives we have to develop a sporting activity in a way to include pedagogical, technical and therapeutic adaptations.
The individual ball game program can be used by both physical education professors during regular physical education classes as well as by special educators to prepare special students for the Special Olympics. Children with special needs have the same desires and interests for belonging and success as their peers with better abilities, so individual exercises are designed in a way to present a challenge while enabling everyone to succeed.
|
