A goal leading to improving communication with the patient, cross-cultural aspect

People with intellectual disabilities in many countries have long been discriminated against and marginalized. Improper diagnostics and lack of adequate support mean that these people are not able to achieve their optimal capabilities. Currently, this situation is changing, more and more often people with intellectual disabilities are perceived not from the perspective of their deficit but through the prism of their potential.
For a proper assessment of the level of physical fitness, it is important not only to choose the right tests, but also to communicate tailored to the individual needs of the recipient. In order to effectively include people with intellectual disabilities in physical activity programs, it is also necessary to identify factors that hinder or facilitate their participation.
Handicaps include personal, social, financial, environmental and family factors, including low self-efficacy, lack of parental support, inadequate or inaccessible facilities, and lack of adequate programs. The most commonly reported facilitators included high self-efficacy, joy in PA, sufficient support from loved ones, social interaction with peers, attendance at school physical education classes, and tailored PA programs. Identifying the factors that influence physical activity are often crucial for engaging people with intellectual disability in changing and maintaining positive behaviours. The lack of information in this area hinders effective and long-term action. To achieve optimal results, it is also necessary to cooperate in an interdisciplinary team including a physiotherapist, occupational therapist and often a cardiologist, neurologist, dietician and others. Understanding and support from loved ones: family, friends and carers is also of great importance.
The aim of this lesson is to learn how to communicate with a person with varying degrees of intellectual disability, taking into account additional dysfunctions and problems hindering communication, and with his/her caregiver in a sensitive and understandable way for the recipient. You will see how to demonstrate and conduct individual physical fitness tests, adjusting the level of the message to the needs of the recipient. You will learn how to talk about the impact of physical fitness on our daily functioning and health, how to help a person with intellectual disabilities identify factors that hinder and facilitate being active and how to convince him or her and his/her caregiver to rationally undertake/increase physical activity
You will become familiar with possible reactions to physical activity (reluctance, lack of motivation, fear, excessive enthusiasm) and the difficulties you may encounter when conducting physical fitness tests.