Empower Our Growth as Athletes: Voices of Swedish Athletes With Intellectual Disability.
Johanna Oskarsson, Eva Flygare Wallén, Kim Wickman and 1 others
PMID 41025608WHAT IT FOUND
Swedish athletes with intellectual disability described belonging when coaches made training understandable, checked in on feelings, respected their goals, and built a club where disability was not judged.
Key findings
01Athletes described inclusion as a club where no one is judged for disability and there is no 'us' or 'them'.
02Support was valued when coaches made training understandable and helped athletes work toward goals.
03Athletes wanted more competitions, camps, and national or international pathways, but said limited pathways hindered their goals.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
The athletes were self-selected through parasport and Special Olympics channels, so the sample may not represent people with more severe intellectual disability, less verbal communication, or no organised sport involvement. Interview adaptations may have shaped responses; simplified language, colour-coded topics, breaks, and emotion images were used, and five athletes brought support persons. One athlete used sign-supported talking and a support person translated, while interviewers were not familiar with sign language. The study reports themes from 15 Swedish athletes, not effects of any coach or club support. Findings are set in Swedish sports clubs, so they may not transfer to other countries or club cultures.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest. Funding came from the Swedish Research Council for Sport Science, the Rolf and Gunilla Enström research foundation, and the cooperation agreement between Mid Sweden University and Municipality of Östersund. Reflexibility notes that one author works at the Swedish Parasport Federation and coaches an integrated training group, and another coaches a youth team that includes athletes with and without intellectual disability.
The easy way to misread this
Do not treat these themes as proof that adapted coach support improves belonging or sport participation. They are experiences reported by 15 self-selected Swedish athletes, not tested interventions.
Summarised by AI from the full paper, without a clinician reviewing it. Check it against the source before it changes what you do. Read it on PubMed →