An activity involving physical exertion and skill in which an individual or team competes against another or others a human activity capable of achieving a result requiring physical exertion and/or physical skill, which, by its nature and organization, is competitive and is generally accepted as being a sport.”

An activity involving physical exertion and skill that is governed by a set of rules or customs and often undertaken competitively

Mentally retarded children may have greater suc- cess in individual and dual sports than in team sports. Competition is often highly motivating, and this statement has been approved by the Council on Child and Adolescent Health. The recommendations in this statement do not indicate an exclusive course of treatment or procedure to be followed.

Some mentally retarded children are well coordinated.some highly intelligent children are clumsy. There are mutual benefits when retarded chilthen participate in noncompetitive sports with children of normal intelligence. One important benefit is the educational opportunities for the “normal” children to learn about disabilities and their effects on their mentally retarded peers. It should be re- membered when planning activities that there is some correlation between developmental level and persistence, attention span, emotional control, and understanding the rules of the game. Children who are mentally retarded usually perform best and enjoy themselves most with children of the same developmental level, not necessarily children of the same chronologic age. Children elicit more interest in games than in simple exercises. Game rules may be changed so that most of the children are interacting most of the time; this is often necessary because retarded children may have a short attention span. In addition, participation with other children may enhance youngsters’ self-esteem and help them learn coop- eration. Keeping records of personal improvement, counting, and similar intellectual activity on the part of mentally retarded children may provide ancillary intellectual benefits from participation invigorous physical efforts.’ Practical suggestions about facilities, equipment, playground markings, fitness activities, and selected exercise are available.’ Information about physical activity programs for the mentally retarded is also available from the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance,2 formerly known as the American Association for Health, Physical Education, and Recreation.3’4 In addition, the Kennedy Foundation also provides information about specific model pro- grams, such as the Special Olympics Program (Spe- cia! Olympics, mc, Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr, Foun- dation, 719 13th St, NW, Washington, DC 20005). Many programs for the mentally retarded are best planned at the community level. Communities that take on this responsibility have the added opportunity to provide activities that enable re- tarded and nonretarded children to participate to- gether and thus decrease some of the problems created by isolation of the mentally retarded. The general population, especially children, lacks knowledge about mental retardation and usually does not have the opportunity to develop the ap- propriate understanding of its mentally retarded peers. Children who are mentally retarded are sometimes rejected because they lack personal and social skills, partly as a result of their relative isolation from other children. Interacting with chil- dren of normal intelligence through sports activities helps mentally retarded children to develop these personal and social skills as well as improving their physical well- being