Quiz

Question 1

What is a Specific Population

Answer 1

those individuals who, because of a variety of circumstances, differ from the perceived average in their physical, emotional, social and / or intellectual behaviour.

Question 2

Why Study Specific Populations?

Answer 2

1. Social Justice and Equity
   Access to services and participation in the community is part of our legal system
2. Effective Service Provision
   
   • A part of good policy & planning practices
   • Effective design of services & facilities
   • Creating opportunities (not ‘handicapping’!)
   • Education for the broader community
3. Professionalism
   
   • developing positive attitudes
   • broadens employment opportunities

Question 3

Introduction to Leisure and Specific Pop

Answer 3

Sport & Rec is an activity that people choose to engage in but choice is always constrained to some extent
There are groups of people in all societies that are not able to participate in all activities for a range of reasons
Examples may include people with disabilities, minority ethnic / NESB groups, older people, youth at risk, women etc
Any comprehensive understanding of sport and leisure requires a focus on these groups

Question 4

Advantages and Disadvantages in recognising specific population groups

Answer 4

There are advantages and disadvantages in recognising specific groups within our society:
The major disadvantage in singling out a specific group is that they may be ‘marginalised’ – they become the ‘others’
However, the advantage in recognising specific groups is to allow recognition of, an provision for, the particular needs of these groups

Question 5

Specific Populations Terminology

Answer 5

Condition / impairment – refers to the medical description of a specific physiological or psychological function and/or anatomical structure
Disability – refers to the effect that the ‘condition’ has on the individual
Handicap – usually placed on an individual by others or by our society in general. A situation where the person with a disability has a disadvantage compared to others

Approximately 18% of Australia’s population are classified as having a disability.

Question 6

What is Functional Ability

Answer 6

This is a very important concept and refers to an athletes ability to see, move, hear and/or perform tasks / activities (i.e. what the athlete can do)
(This emphasis differs to most descriptions of athletes with disabilities which focus on what they cannot do)
Particularly within sport & fitness it is important for coaches / trainers to focus on the ability of an individual rather than the disability

Question 7

Inclusion Definition

Answer 7

Inclusive programming means that all people are provided with the same opportunities for participation in sport and recreation at the appropriate level and with the appropriate support.

Question 8

Modification Definition

Answer 8

Often, not always, to include a person with a disability will require some modification to the activity. Here, it is important to remember two things:

• Don’t modify just for the sake of it – some activities will not require modification in order to include someone with a disability.
• Don’t modify the activity so much that it compromises the integrity of the sport / game. In other words, we still want the game to resemble the ‘unmodified’ version.

Question 9

TREE categories

Answer 9

Modifications can generally fall into four categories:

Teaching style
Rules – remember, if we are changing rules to change them for everybody, not just one or two people.
Equipment
Environment

Question 10

Key principles with inclusion are:

Answer 10

• The person’s choice is essential as to the level of integration, support required etc.
• Every individual is different and will require an individual approach.
• Use disability-specific information as background only. You don’t always have to be an ‘expert’ on the type of disability in order to include someone with that disability into your program. Your ‘expertise’ lies in your knowledge of your sport or activity – a good coach / leader will include people of all ability levels into their program. This is simply good coaching practice.

Question 11

Physical Barriers

Answer 11

Architectural: man made structures, transport
Ecological: Hills, winds, trees
Economic: double handicap - low paying jobs/limited financial opportunity + higher than average expenses

Question 12

Social Barriers

Answer 12

Attitudes: From parental over-protection to behaviours of the wider community
Rules & Regulations: Historically systematically denying people opportunities
Communication: Remember – communication is a two-way process!

Question 13

Psychological Barriers

Answer 13

Social Ineffectiveness: Segregation leads to ineffective social skills
Lack of Knowledge: Lack of info. about essential programs, facilities etc. by people with disabilities and their support network.
Learned Dependency

Question 14

Intellectual Disability

Answer 14

WHO defines ID as: Significantly sub average general functioning, existing concurrently with deficits in adaptive behaviour and manifested during the developmental period.
5 Categories: 
Mild - 50-70
Moderate - 35-55
Severe - 20-40
Profound - below 20
Multiple

Question 15

Intellectual Disability

Answer 15

People with an intellectual disability find it harder to learn than others. It is evident at birth or results from accident or illness during childhood or adolescence. It is not a sickness but rather a slowness to learn and function within society. It means a reduced ability to learn, but people with intellectual disability can and do learn a wide range of skills.

Question 16

Intellectual disability cannot be cured

Answer 16

However with appropriate training and support most people with an intellectual disability can lead independent or semi - independent lives

Question 17

Intellectual Disability - Review

Answer 17

Is evident at birth or results from accident or illness during early childhood or adolescence
Can be caused through chromosomal abnormalities, brain damage at or before birth, deprivation during infancy or early childhood
IS NOT A SICKNESS AND CANNOT BE ‘CURED’

Question 18

Psychiatric Disability

Answer 18

Unlike intellectual disability, MENTAL ILLNESS
Can occur at any point in a persons life
Is a medical problem and therefore can (in most cases) be treated.

Question 19

The Mental Health Act defines Psychiatric Disability as:

Answer 19

“A condition which seriously impairs, either temporarily or permanently, the mental functioning of a person and is characterised by the presence of any or more of the following symptoms:

	a) delusions
	b) hallucinations
	c) serious disorder of thought form
	d) severe disturbances of mood
	e) sustained or repeated irrational behaviour”

Question 20

Prevalence

Answer 20

It is now estimated that about on in every five Australians will experience some sort of mental health disorder at least once in their lives
Psychiatric disability occurs within all cultures regardless of gender, race or socio-economic class
Conditions include:
Schizophrenia
Bipolar disorder (manic depressive illness)
Depression
Anxiety disorders

Question 21

Treatment

Answer 21

During the 19th century, people with psychiatric illnesses were usually thrown together into asylums and ignored
Psychiatric illness was seen as a social problem rather than a medical one
More recently, it has been recognised that the behaviour of people with chronic psychiatric disability was due more to be institutionalised than to the disorder itself!
Community-based psychiatry became the preferred treatment

Question 22

Community Psychiatry

Answer 22

Services established within the community to provide care and assistance to people with psychiatric illness.

Treatment options include:
Medication
Hospitalisation
Community Health Services – counselling, support, assessment

Question 23

Coping with Psychiatric Disability:

Answer 23

Planning / organising each day
Setting reasonable, achievable goals
Taking medication regularly
Avoiding stressful situations
Monitoring symptoms
Seeking help when symptoms begin to emerge
Keeping in contact with other people – it is important not to be isolation
SPORT AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY CAN HAVE A MAJOR ROLE TO PLAY

Question 24

Spinal Chord Injury

Answer 24

Paraplegia:
Resulting from damage to the spinal cord below the neck area – paralysis from the chest or waist down

Quadriplegia:
Results from damage to the spinal cord in the neck region. Affects movement in arms and hands

The Spinal Cord:
The sole link between the brain and the nerves going to and from all areas of the body. Nerves transmit messages and sensation and movement.
When the spinal cord is damaged, communication is affected below the damaged point. Like brain tissue, spinal cord tissue does not regenerate.

Question 25

Functional Classifications - physical disability

Answer 25

For competition, wheelchair sports participants are classified into various groups according to their loco motor ability and functioning of muscle groups specific to their sport. Each competitor undergoes an examination by medical and sporting officials.

Example – Wheelchair Basketball

Each player is classified along a scale from 1 to 4.5. The number is allotted according to site of lesion, completeness of lesion, balance and manoeuvrability. The five players on the court cannot total any more than 14 points at any one time. This then becomes an important factor in selecting a team and planning tactics.

Question 26

Cerebral Palsy

Answer 26

Cerebral Palsy (CP) is a disorder of movement and posture due to damage to the areas of the brain that control & coordinate muscle tone, reflex, posture and movement.

CP is a physical disability, not an intellectual disability

Severity and symptoms vary greatly.

CP is a condition, not a disease
CP is non-fatal, non-progressive, non-contagious and non-curable
Approximately 66% of people with CP display abnormal reflex development (spasticity)

Question 27

Amputee Athletes

Answer 27

Amputee athletes quite possibly require the least “special consideration” as far as coaching athletes with disabilities is concerned.
The participant will usually be able to tell the coach how activities might be modified in order to best suit their abilities
Many will require no modification at all
It is important that coaches and trainers take a “whole of body approach” – balance training across both sides of the body as well as upper an lower body.

Question 28

Amputee Sport Classification

Answer 28

To be classified as an amputee for the purposes of sporting competition the amputation must be above or through a major joint (with no articulation remaining) in a limb.

A1 Double Leg, Above knee A6 Single arm, above elbow
A2 Single leg, above knee A7 Double arm, below elbow
A3 Double leg, below knee A8 Single arm, below elbow
A4 Single leg, below knee A9 Combination arm & leg
A5 Double arm, above elbow

Question 29

Types of Vision Impairments

Answer 29

Tunnel Vision (loss of peripheral vision)
Loss of central vision
Blurred vision
Light perception only
Darkness only – total blindness

Question 30

Athletes with Vision Impairments

Answer 30

Legally Blind:
A person is accepted as being medically & legally blind if certified as having less than 10% vision.

Loss of sight is usually discussed in relation to ‘visual field’ or ‘visual acuity’

Question 31

Visual Field

Visual Acuity

Answer 31

Visual Field is the entire area that a person can see without shifting their gaze (head or eyes). Usually measured in degrees. A person with a visual field of 20 degrees or less is considered to be legally blind.

Visual Acuity is clarity or keenness of vision. Usually measured as a fraction – i.e. 20/20 or 6/6.
Legally blind = 6/60.

Question 32

Coaching Considerations

Answer 32

Generally, the sport specific techniques used by athletes with vision impairments are the same as their sighted peers
The most effective coaches of athletes with VI are therefore those with sports specific knowledge and skills
May require some flexible thinking / adaptation
Blind Sporting Association of NSW

Question 33

Causes

Answer 33

There are many causes of VI – usually classified as either congenital or acquired.
Results are damage to one or more of the following: the eye itself; the muscles of the eye; the CNS; the occipital lobe of the brain; optic nerves

Question 34

Types of Hearing Loss

Answer 34

Conductive Loss
Disruption to the transmission of sound in the outer ear or middle ear. Words are faint but there is no distortion. Sounds need to be louder in order to restore normal hearing.
Causes can include blockage, perforated ear drum, middle ear infections, genetic conditions.

Sensorineural Loss
Disruption to the transmission of sound in the inner ear or in the neural pathways. Sound is generally distorted.

Causes include genetic conditions, rubella, exposure to excessive noise, meningitis.

Mixed Loss refers to a combination of both Conductive and Sensorineural losses.

Question 35

Eligibility

Answer 35

To be eligible for sanctioned international competition athletes must have a hearing loss of at least 55dB without the use of hearing aids.

No formal eligibility currently exists for Australian national competitions, although competitors must have the support and acceptance of their state body.

Question 36

For Coaches:

Answer 36

Residual Hearing is an individuals remaining available hearing. Residual hearing includes that which can be heard with the use of a hearing aid.
Manual Communication uses sign language and finger spelling
Oral Communication uses visual cues in conjunction with residual hearing and/or lip reading.

Question 37

Deaf Community & Deaf Culture

Answer 37

Many deaf people prefer the company of other deaf people. The formation of this ‘deaf community’ makes it easier to communicate, socialize and play sport.

The deaf community has developed it’s own ‘sub-culture’. This often leads to misunderstandings between deaf people and mainstream culture.

Question 38

Two major hurdles are to be overcome in order to keep older people physically active:

Answer 38

Overcoming the issue of stereotyping

The importance of staying physically active throughout our lives …

Question 39

Ageing Population

Answer 39

Politicians, academics and media commentators refer to Australia as having an ageing population
This means that the percentage of older people (55+) is increasing in relation to those in younger age groups
1881: 45+ = 15% of the population
2031: 45+ = 50% of the population

Question 40

Contributing factors …

Answer 40

Ageing of the ‘baby boom’ generation
Better health care and diet
Migration effects
Improved welfare services
Falling birth rates in late 20th century (although this has reversed slightly in recent years)

Question 41

Exercise and ageing

Answer 41

“You don’t stop being active because you get old … you get old because you stop being active”

Exercise becomes vital to the total well-being of older people.
Much of the decline associated with ageing is in fact due to inactivity rather than disease or an ‘ageing process’
Lynch and Veal (2006) identify a number of benefits of participation in active leisure:
Better physical and mental health
Sharing of leisure and learning skills
Reduced cost burden on the community

Question 42

Overcoming stereotypes and maintaining active living :

Answer 42

Many retirees are well-advised financially but have a real need for planning for leisure time
Key motivators for women appear to be social interaction and for men the sense of satisfaction and achievement
There exists a need for more promotional campaigns
Encouragement of everyday activities such as walking
‘Commercialised’ leisure appears to have a small (but increasing) market! In this regard, the biggest barrier appears to be doing an activity for the first time.
Transport also becomes an issue for many