Effects of sixteen week of resistance exercises on some selected cognitive variables development in adolescents with intellectual disabilities

Intellectual disabilities a serious problem in the entire world and its prevalence is high in school-age children. These difficulties can influence cognitive, social and emotional areas of functioning and have led their families to suffer in economic and social disadvantages than those without disabilities. The main objective of this study was to investigate the effect of sixteen-week resistance exercise on cognition developments of school children with intellectual disabilities in Desse & Kombolcha, Amhara region, Ethiopia. In this Pre-test and post-test study design, eighteen adolescents with intellectual disabilities participated in the study. A paired t-test was fitted to analyze the pre-test and post-test data of the study participants. In order to measure cognitive variables digit span backward, digit span forward, vocabulary and similarity test batteries were used to measure working memory, short term memory, vocabulary knowledge and comparative reasoning respectively before and after sixteen-week of the training intervention. After sixteen-week  of intervention, a significant mean score change was observed in working memory, short term memory, vocabulary knowledge, and comparative reasoning respectively (p < 0.05) after training when compared before training. We concluded that resistance exercise can improve the cognitive skills of adolescents with intellectual disabilities.