Page 19 - seminars

PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND SPORTS IN
INDIVIDUALS WITH SPECIAL NEEDS

ASSOC. PROF. DR. HALİL SAROL
Kırıkkale University Faculty of Sports
Sciences, Department of Sports
Management

It is seen that the term disability has different usage patterns in the world and in our country throughout
the historical process. For example, it is seen that there are different uses such as the disabled, those with
different development, those with learning differences, and individuals who need special education (Özer,
2017). Today, however, it is considered important to prefer and use definitions made without labeling these
individuals in the society instead of these terms. In this context, it is more appropriate to use the term
"individuals with special needs" (Baykoç, 2017). According to the World Disability Report (2011) data, more
than 1 billion people out of 15% of the world's population have special needs. In our country, about 10
million individuals have special needs.
It is known that there are many applications for the development, education and life skills of individuals
with special needs in the world and in our country. One of these applications is physical activity and sports
applications. Physical activity and sports practices have many positive effects on individuals with special
needs (Martin, 2013). These effects can be grouped as effects on physical health, mental and social health.
It is known that it has many benefits such as reducing obesity, preventing cardiovascular diseases,
increasing joint mobility, accelerating metabolism and so on, within the scope of its effects on physical
health (Winnick, 2017). Within the scope of mental and social health, it has benefits such as reducing the
risk of depression and anxiety disorder, creating self-confident individuals who are at peace with their
bodies, and improving their communication skills (Sarol et al., 2022). On the other hand, many skills are
gained through physical activity and sports, and these skills make free time more meaningful.
Although physical activity and sports have many positive effects for individuals with special needs, there are
many obstacles in participation (Martin, 2013). It is known that these obstacles are caused by economic,
psychological, transportation and similar reasons (Esatbeyoğlu and Karahan, 2014).

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