How does an individual with an intellectual disability learn sports skills and rules and what can a coach do to facilitate learning (training sequence, levels of instruction)?
People with an intellectual disability learn just like everyone else. They use different strategies and strengths to help them understand. Some learn best through seeing things, others through hearing things. Some need to feel what it is like to do something before they can learn it. The only difference with Special Olympics athletes is that they will most likely be slower to learn it than their peers. Repetition is a proven strategy for learning that is effective with everyone. It can also be effective with Special Olympics athletes. Another strategy is to “tell them, show them, help them and remind them.” Bottom line: No one strategy works for everyone. Be creative and have fun. That is the best environment for learning to happen. Check out the Principles of Coaching of this guide for more information on learning styles and effective strategies. There are also some quick reference guides in this section to help you.
