Funda Baran’s research while affiliated with Akdeniz University and other places

The purpose of the study was to compare the perceptions of athletes, partners, parents, and coaches regarding their commitment to the concept of Unified Sports, and their overall satisfaction with the 8 weeks Unified Football Program at the beginning and the end of the program. Participants were 46 boys with and without Intellectual Disabilities (ID) (23 with ID, mean age=14.5±1.19 years, 23 without ID, mean age=14.1±0.89 years). The Unified Sport Questionnaire forms were administered to athletes, partners, coaches, and parents as a pretest in the second week of the training and a posttest just after the tournaments. There were significant decrease in after program responses of partners in enjoyment of training (p<.05,McNemar’s test) and perception of the level of getting along with the other school friends (p<.05,McNemar’s test). In athletes, there was a significant increase only in the recommendation of Unified Sports to a friend (p<.05,McNemar’s test). Athletes’ and partners’ parents perceived improvements in abilities, behaviors and relations of their children. All of the coaches believed in the necessity of rule modification during the program. According to the results of this study, Unified Sports would enable to integrate children with intellectual disability into society and increase social awareness of their peers without disabilities. Baran, F., Top, E., Aktop, A., Özer, D., & Taşralı, S. (2009). Evaluation of unified football program by Special Olympics athletes, partners, parents and coaches. European Journal of Adapted Physical Activity, 2 (1), 51-61.. Available from: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/326673470_Baran_F_Top_E_Aktop_A_Ozer_D_Tasrali_S_2009_Evaluation_of_unified_football_program_by_Special_Olympics_athletes_partners_parents_and_coaches_European_Journal_of_Adapted_Physical_Activity_2_1_51-61 [accessed Jul 29 2018].

The study investigated the effects of a Special Olympics (SO) Unified Sport (UNS) soccer program on anthropometry, physical fitness and soccer skills of male youth athletes with and without intellectual disabilities (ID) who participated in a training group (TRG) and in a comparison group (CG) without specific training. Youth with ID (WID) were randomly selected out of all the students between the ages 12 and 15, with a diagnosis of educable mental retardation and no secondary disabilities, who were attending a special education school. Participants without ID (WoID) were randomly selected from a regular secondary school out of the same age groups of male students. All participants were given permission by their parents or guardians to participate in the study. Participants in the TRG included 23 youth WID and 23 youth WoID. Mean ages were=14.1 (SD=1.1) and 13.2 (SD=0.79) respectively. Fifteen WID, and 15 WoID comprised the CG. Mean ages were 14.51 (SD=0.81) and 13.78 (SD=0.49) respectively. Prior to and following the program measurements were conducted, and data were collected on students' anthropometric and fitness components of the Brockport physical fitness test as well as a soccer skill performance based on the SO soccer skill test. Participants in the TRG trained 8 weeks, 1.5h per session, three times per week, in an after-school soccer program. CG did not participate in any sports program outside of the school physical education class. Dependent t tests and effect size calculations revealed that SO athletes and non-disabled partners scored significantly higher with regard to physical fitness and football skills in most variables compared with their CG. This Unified Program was successful in increasing fitness and soccer skill performance of youth WID as well as of those WoID.