Improvement on the slopes: The impact of an adaptive snow sports program on children and young adults with disabilities.
Stephanie M Barton, Matthew J McLaughlin, Mark T Fisher
PMID 40153273WHAT IT FOUND
Children and young adults with disabilities in a 10-year adaptive ski program showed significant skill progression and improved social, emotional, physical, and independence scores, though cognitive trends were not significant.
Key findings
01Participants demonstrated a statistically significant improvement in final ski skill level compared to baseline, with an average increase of 1.2 PSIA-AASI skill levels per participant.
02Significant improvements were found in social, emotional, physical, and independence domains, while the cognitive domain showed a non-significant trend towards improvement.
03The study lacked a control group and relied on subjective instructor scores for secondary outcomes, limiting the ability to determine true causation or the contribution of specific program components.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
The study had no control group, making it difficult to determine if improvements were due to the program or other factors. Secondary outcomes relied on subjective, non-validated instructor scores rather than published scales. There was marked variability in the number of sessions, instructor skill levels, and teaching consistency. Only the first and last sessions were analyzed, ignoring intermediate progress and data from the majority of sessions. Many participants were excluded due to missing documentation or incomplete sessions, potentially introducing selection bias.
Declared interests
The authors received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article, and declared no potential conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume this program causes the observed improvements. Without a control group, natural growth, maturation, or other unmeasured activities could explain the skill and score changes.