Effect of Recreational Physical Activity Program on Aberrant Behaviors of Adolescents with Mild Intellectual Disabilities

ABSTRACT This study investigated the effect of the Recreational Physical Activity Program (RPAPP) on problem behaviors of adolescents with mild intellectual disabilities. The experimental group (n=17) involved the parents of adolescents with mild intellectual disabilities who were studying at the School for the Mildly Mentally Handicapped, within the Meram Melike Hatun Special Education Vocational High School affiliated to the Ministry of National Education in Konya. The parents who remained after the exclusion of the lost data constituted the control group (n=17). The Personal Information Form developed by the researchers and the Aberrant Behavior Checklist were used to collect data. The sample of the study consisted of 34 participants. To measure the aberrant behaviors of the adolescents, an evaluation was made through the parents. The study had a pretest-posttest experimental design with a control group. A 16-session RPA was implemented in the experimental group for 8 weeks, two sessions a week and each session lasting for about an hour. The results of the study revealed no statistically significant difference between the Aberrant Behavior Checklist pre-test and post-test total and factor scores of the experimental and control groups (p.05). the application of a recreational physical activity program in 16 sessions is not sufficient to reduce aberrant behaviors; therefore, longer-term programs are necessary for behavior change.Keywords: Aberrant Behaviors, Adolescent, Intellectual Disability, Therapeutic Recreation Program